>> good morning. breaking news. hollywood legend elizabeth taylor died at the age of 79. the two-time academy award winner famed for her talent, incredible beauty, tireless charitable work, passed away surrounded by friends and family at a los angeles hospital. we will look back at her remarkable life and career today. wednesday, march 23, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good morning. welcome to "today," 7:00 a.m. on the west coast on this wednesday. i'm matt lauer. >> i'm ann curry in for meredith. hollywood lost a true icon this morning. also the nation has lost a major voice on raising awareness about hiv-aids. one of the early, most strong voices on this cause in our time. >> oh, my gosh. this is someone that really walked the walk. i hate to say it, so many celebrities in this day and age attach themselves to a cause and the cause does more for the celebrity than the celebrity does for the cause. not that way with elizabeth taylor. raising awareness for people living with hiv and cause of aids in particular. we have a statement this morning from sir elton john who was a dear friend. someone that worked with her closely on that issue. we just talked about. we just lost a hollywood giant. more importantly, we have lost an incredible human being. taylor had been hospitalized at cedar sinai hospital in los angeles six without objection agore for treatment of

congestive heart failure. sadly she never recover. >> her son michael wilding released a statement saying his mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest with great passion, humor and love. >> we are going to have much more on her remarkable life throughout the morning. talking with many people. she touched through the years. let's begin in los angeles with nbc's miguel almaguer. good morning to you. >> matt, good morning. as you mentioned taylor had been hospitalized for the past six weeks with heart problems. her family was by her bedside when she passed away. her four children and ten grandchildren. elizabeth taylor was one of the last goddesses from hollywood's golden age. let me read you a bit after statement that was released by her son. my mother was an extraordinarily woman with an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest with great passion and humor and love. though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her endearing contribution to our world. her remarkable body of work in

film and ongoing successes of businesswoman and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight of hiv and aids has always made it an incredibly proud of what she has accomplished. taylor was one of the last onscreen goddesses nominated multiple times for best actress in the academy awards oscar finally came for her performance in "butterfield aaden" in the '60s. she won second time for "who's afraid of virginia woolf." her private life was every bit as dramatic as her onscreen roles. married eight times. actor richard burton became her husband twice. later in life, elizabeth -- her act career, when she published a book and focused her attention on the world's aids epidemic. . in recent years as you mentioned she struggled with her health and hospitalized the last six weeks. again, her family, her four children, ten grandchildren were by her side when she passed early this morning here in los angeles. >> miguel almaguer.

thank you very much. miguel in los angeles this morning. >> taylor won two oscars during her remarkable career. nbc's peter alexander joining with us more of her life and legacy. peter, good morning. >> good morning to both of you. this is sad news. obviously elizabeth taylor will be remembered than larger-than-life hollywood star. unforgettable performances on the silver screen. her personal courage off of it as well. she was described it is a last of a breed traveling with huge entourages, spending lavishly on diamonds and living a life of old-style hollywood glamour. she was one of the last of the screen goddesses from hollywood's golden age. >> one more crack. just one and i will not only spit in your eye but i will punch it black and blue. >> at the height of her career in the '50s and '60s, some of the most memorable movies. >> help me. >> don't. >> now i sound insane, don't i?

>> are you trying to? >> born in london to american parents in 1932, elizabeth taylor moved to los angeles just before the outbreak of world war ii. >> eat your bread. >> small but memorable roles in movies like "lassie came home" quickly led to her first leading role at the age of 12. >> father, he is the loveliest thing. you should see him. i am in love with him. >> reporter: from "national velvet" she matured to teen roles in movies like "a date with judy" and "little women." by 17, she was the stunning young woman in "father of the bride." a year later. in a place in the sun she showed the beginnings of the serious actress. she would later become.

>> i will love you as long as live. >> reporter: she received academy award nominations for best actress three years in a row. "rain tree county." "cat on a hot tin roof." "suddenly last summer." >> face it. i was a slut of all time. >> she won her first oscar in 1960 and another six years later for "who's afraid of virginia woolf." with those successes under her belt taylor was the first actress to be paid $1 million for her performance in "cleopatra." taylor's private life was as sensational as her movie career. >> i have had everything. i have had my share of joy, pain, luck. >> reporter: she married eight times. hotel chain heir nicky hilton,

wilding. producer mike killed in a plane crash and eddie fisher. while married to fisher she met richard burton whom she married and divorced twice. followed by senator john warner. construction worker larry fortensky. along with her many marriages, fans watched as taylor struggled through near fatal bouts of pneumonia, addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs. brain tumor, hip surgeries, back and heart problems. despite everything, taylor always seemed to survive. >> look forward to waking up or you don't. i do. >> reporter: when her acting career waned taylor launched a successful perfume empire. she developed her own diet and wrote a bestselling diet book. in her later years, taylor became a tireless crusader in the fight against aids. using her fame to raise both money and awareness. >> the government is not doing enough. they should be spending billions. >> reporter: in september of 2009, she appeared frail at her

friend michael jackson's funeral. taylor is survived by four children and ten grandchildren. >> survived by four great grandchildren. we want to show you photos. these may be among the last photos of elizabeth taylor. they were taken at her 79th birthday celebration. in january celebrating her birthday a month early surrounded by family and friends. these photos you can see in a wheelchair where she appears weak but gorgeous smile on her face surrounded by loved ones. this happened ten days before she was rushed to the hospital where her family was by her side today. at the time of her death. her family says there is a private funeral being planned for later this week. the details after memorial service will be announced at a later date. >> peter alexander. thank you very much. larry king joins us now by phone. good morning to you. >> good morning, matt. >> i know you interviewed elizabeth taylor a lot of times. i think by your count eight, ten times. what stands out? >> oh, just every appearance

stands out. looking right now at a card i got from her. the day i did my last "larry king live show." it was a beautiful show saying she was sorry she couldn't be with us because of her illness but was thinking of me, et cetera. i got very close to her. she was very -- matt, she was a broad. she was gutsy. she had it all. you knew where you stood with elizabeth taylor. she never minced words. she was -- extraordinarily -- when she believed in something -- she was the first really major talent to get involved in the aids fight and she just didn't put a name there. she rounded up people and would call you, how much money are you giving? you have to come to this rally. you enlisted many other stars to join her in that fight. there was a time when she nearly -- her car crash in front of her house and went out and dragged him out of the car. i believe she was with him when

he passed away. she was larger than life while being tiny. she was very short lady. with pan it is a particular eyes. her purple eyes went right through you. she was gorgeous face. she was -- she was a trouper. >> do you remember the first time you interviewed her? you sat across so many celebrities. would she have been intimidating at first? >> she was. that was in miami. years ago. probably some film tour. after a while you don't get intimidated. she was one that would intimidate you. of course she would come in the door and she made an appearance. you knew advise advise was in the room. you knew elizabeth was in the room. she did not go quietly into the good night. i would bet that she fought this death all the way. >> if she were able to write the words that are being spoken by people all across the country and around the world right now, what do you think she would want emphasized most? would it be hollywood or her

work for charity? >> easily her, work for charity. and her hollywood probably would come first would be family. and children, grandchildren. second would come aids and other charities she was involved in. and third would come her talent. fourth would come her jewelry. she loved jewelry. she wore a ring on my show once that -- signals ships. and i remember actually -- where did that ring come from? she would look at me and said richard. the man she loved the most was mike, the movie producer that died in a plane crash. i think that was the worst day of her life. his death. and i would have to say including burton, that she loved michael the most. >> did she ever, larry, talk to you about the many different and failed relationships and what

she felt was at the heart of that? >> individually, no. collectively, yes. she said this was the kind of girl who -- when i'm with -- when i'm not with the one i love i love the one i'm with. that could have been her theme song. she fell in love easily. she gave it all when she fell in love. but she was also a testimompest. she had to have been hard to live with. she had a will. she knew what she wanted. she was a professional. but they will never forget the making of "cleopatra." which actually cost -- you are not going to believe this, matt. $9 million. >> back then. >> back then. did you ever have her on? >> not for this show i didn't interview her. she has been on this show a number of times. i interviewed her for other programs in the past and i said earlier, larry, i met her when she was 59 or 60 years old and

walked out on the lawn for me to do the interview and took my breath away. >> yes. she was -- she was exhilarating, sexual, gutsy, down to earth. and -- yet, she took virginia woolf and played a hagered woman, not pretty woman to look at, and won an academy award for it. i thought she was brilliant in "cat on a hot tin roof." her film career stands on its own. all these movie channels will be showing her films the next week. >> for a long time. >> we did a special. i don't know if it was put together where i -- in advance, we knew she was very sick. i don't know if it was put together yet. a lot of clips of shows i did with her. i always enjoyed her company. >> you have a lot of memories. nice of to you join thus morning and share some of those with us. larry king, thank you very much. >> stay well. >> you, too.

what stands out when layery talking about this actress, this woman who walked the walk when it came to causes she felt really seriously about. >> i have said she embraced victims of aids at a time it was not cool. in fact, it was a very risky thing for her to do. she still had at that time ambitions to act and ambitions to launch a fragrance empire. you know, she wanted to be loved by the public and yet, she took on this issue that was a real hot potato at the time. we forget now but it took incredible courage and fortitude for her to do that. i don't think she ever believed or thought twice about it. she knew she had to do. >> it seems like a weird time to bring up money but any idea how much money she raised over the years on behalf of charities dealing with hiv and aids? >> oh, hundreds of millions. absolutely. plus the -- ripple effect of what she did is vast. absolutely. >> jeff, thanks for making it in this morning. we appreciate it very much.

it is 14 after the hour. here's ann. >> matt, thank you so much. we have been talking about elizabeth taylor's charitable giving around the world. she probably would not want us to ignore the plight to people in places like japan and kwlab. between to switch gears and talk about the crisis in japan. tokyo's drinking water supply has spiked to radiation levels dangerous for infants. emergency workers were evacuated yet again. robert bazell is in tokyo with the details on this story. bob, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. you can see it is raining here in tokyo now. the fact is it has been raining like this for days. it has driven the radiation escaping from the plant into the ground and into the groundwater. as a result, main distribution station for water here in tokyo, they found radioactive iodide levels. you can imagine that's very concerning for a lot of parents.

at the reactor itself as we pointed out, some signs of progress but the black smoke and other things are setbacks. this is a crisis that shows no sign of ending any time soon. at this water plan that serves the greater tokyo area, officials found levels of iodide twice as high it is a standard for infants. officials told parents to only give infants bottled water. yet again today black smoke rising from reactor number 3 forced workers to temporarily evacuate the site. with radiation continuing to leak from the plant workers hooked up power lines to all six crippled reactors. it could be weeks before the cooling systems are operational. problems persist. reactor 1 reached dangerous temperatures today. work at reactor 2 halted after high levels of radiation were detected. >> we will continue the water spraying operation. >> reporter: a robotic arm sprayed water on the dangerously hot spent fuel pools.

the newly released dramatic video taken last week shows plant workers on the front lines. japan remains a nation on edge. many here worried over the radiation in food. >> traces of radioactivity have been detected on leafy vegetables. >> reporter: the government added to the list of tainted vegetables, cautioning people and suspending shipments of vegetables and cautioning people from consuming them. >> also broccolis and cauliflowers and turnips. >> reporter: on tuesday the u.s. fda announced it will halt all import of produce from those areas. >> there have been active aftershocks. >> reporter: this morning two aftershocks struck japan, the strongest in the fukushima prefecture. this as the human suffering continues. in a hard-hit town fuel shortages, icy roads and power outages hampered relief efforts. the sick and elderly are on the

floor of this shelter as medical supplies finally trickle in. just 25 miles from the troubled fukushima plant this supermarket was overcrowded, low on basic necessities. many shelves emptied. residents haven't been ordered to evacuate and are now facing a food shortage. there is no food shortage in tokyo but there is a lot of -- run on bottled water, as you can understand. >> thank you so much for bringing us up to date. it is 7:18 pacific time. once again, here is matt. >> ann, thank you very much. to libya where moammar gadhafi has spoken out the first time since air strikes launched by u.s. and coalition forces got under way. nbc's jim maceda is in tripoli. good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, matt. air strikes are are beginning to have an effect on the battlefield. the air strikes have now stopped. tanks have been firing day after

day and killing dozens. in the gateway to the east, more air strikes there. pro-gadhafi forces inside the town. so far not significant air strikes. and they are still holding that town despite an attempt -- several attempts by rebels to penetrate. you mentioned gadhafi. it is true he seems to be feeling more confident now. spoke from his palatial palace. he and the libyan people are laughing at the bombs and missiles falling. pretty defiant stuff. matt? >> all right. jim maceda in tripoli this morning. thank you very much. let's get caught up on the rest of the morning's top stories with natalie morales. >> good morning. we begin with breaking news this morning. for the first time in several years, an explosion has rocked central jerusalem this morning. police say a bomb detonated on or next to a city passengers

bus. nbc's producer paul goldman joins us by phone from tel aviv with the latest. paul, good morning. what can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning, natalie. police report the blast was caused by an explosion device tied to a telephone pole near a crowd bus station. 25 people were wounded in the incident. four of them in serious condition. the blast took place at 3:00 in the afternoon and most of the injured were onboard bus number 74 en route from jerusalem city center. the city center has been closed off by the police and no organization has taken responsibility for this attack. back to you and natalie. >> all right. paul goldman there reporting from tel aviv for us this morning. it is now 7:20. >> thank you so much. our friends out west getting clobbered again. you will see on the radar more rain and heavy rain, mountain snow. talking about one to three, maybe some areas five inches of rain and already super saturated ground. that's bad news. flash flood sing a possibility in the sierra.

could be talking about a foot of snow. another two storms waiting offshore to continue to pound our friends from the pacific northwest all the way down into southern california. >> good morning to you. we're still watching very strong shower activity pushing into livermore, but the good news is as i step out of the way here you can see all of this green, well, the heavy rains are starting to in this out significantly. our next concern comes with the possibility of strong thunderstorms developing as we head throughout this afternoon. we have an unstable air mass. and so we're going to watch that for you. temperatures today will end up in the mid-50s, grab the jacket, the umbrella. stronger storm moves in tonight. that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you so much. coming up, much more on this morning's very sad news elizabeth taylor died at the age of 79. you about first, this is "today" on nbc.

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for the possibility of strong thunderstorms developing. the next system moves in through tonight making for another rough commute tomorrow morning. today's temperatures, 56 degrees in oakland, 55 in fremont. on the peninsula mostly in the mid to low 50s. 54 in redwood city. thunderstorms starting up later this afternoon. you pick up the daytime heating. 59 degrees. more rain on the way tomorrow. let's check your drive now with mike inouye. >> the south bay having been hit by the rain you show on the maps, looking at a slow drive. northbound 680 an accident took out a pole has the off ramp closed. don't use the capital expressway off ramp. a slow down and south of the sunol grade. over the grade and toward scotts creek a spin-out and accident off to the shoulder involving a couple of cars. oakland 880, the drive fast coliseum crowded in the south

direction. >> be careful as you head out the door. 7:27 a. suspected east bay madame is off the hook due to an investigation into a crooked cop drug ring. prosecutors say they are dropping charges. the agent and a private investigator have pleaded not guilty to drug charges. >> i'll have a local update in about with a half hour. the "today" show back in less than two minutes.

7:30 pacific time wednesday morning, march 23, 2011. look at that picture. beauty and talent made her one of the biggest stars in the 20th century. elizabeth taylor passed away this morning at the age of 79. i'm matt lauer alongside ann kur kwloy is here for meredith this morning. taylor passed way from congestive heart failure after a lengthy stay at a los angeles hospital. she had been at that hospital for somewhere around six weeks. >> a legend on the screen but i believe she will be as well known for her work as a pioneering voice when it took

courage to do so in raising awareness about hiv-aids. >> that's right. let's go to miguel almaguer. he is in los angeles with more. ly gemiguel, good morning to yo >> reporter: elizabeth taylor was surrounded by family when she passed early this morning in los angeles. her four children were by her side. the legendary actress and hollywood icon had been hospitalized, as you mentioned, for the past six weeks with heart problems. she celebrated her 79th birthday in the hospital. taylor long struggled with her health. in 1995 she underwent a replacement surgery on both hips. two years later she underwent surgery for a brain tumor. in 2002 taylor was treated for skin cancer. then six weeks ago she was hospitalized at cedars-sinai hospital in los angeles for congestive heart failure, a condition she struggled for some years. her son leased a statement a short time ago. i will read a bit of that to you. my mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the

fullest with great passion, humor and love. though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her contribution to our world. as you know she was a two-time oscar winner. some say her private life was as dramatic as her onscreen life. she was married eight time. she was a tireless activist against hiv and aids. she was surrounded again by her four children and also was survived by ten grandchildren. >> miguel almaguer in los angeles this morning. thank you very much. 32 after the hour. here is ann. >> matt, thanks. elizabeth taylor was the founder of the american foundation for aids research. also known as amfar. joining us now is the designer, kenneth cole, current chairman of the organization. good morning. >> good morning, ann. >> your reaction to this morning's news? >> first, it is a sad day but we at amfar have wonderfully fond memories of elizabeth and all

that she's passionately done for so long. and she was from the earliest stages, back 25 years ago. she was one of the first people to stand up and passionately advocate and speak on behalf of the people with hiv. where so many others at that time were -- dealt with it with fear, hostility and/or disregard. but she was relentless and she was persevering and she spoke on capitol hill and did whatever she could wherever she could. and it is a sad day. you know, our hearts go out to her family and she will be missed. her message will live on. >> she was inspired according to many reports to act in part because of -- her friendship with co-star rock hudson who died from the disease. and there was a report that says

by 1999 she raised -- helped raise an estimated $50 million to fight aids. one wonders whether amfar would have been able to be founded, this great organization that raised so much awareness, and money, would have possibly not been founded had it not been for her support. i think one also wonders about the courage it must have taken for her to be involved. >> she was a courageous woman. we actually were -- we honored her four weeks ago in new york. up until the last day, even though she was dealing with her personal illness, she was almost on that airplane and she was going to be in new york and another opportunity for her to tell her story and promote the importance of this message and continued need for advocacy. and for people to -- connect on

so many -- on a very -- very meaningful level. and -- but she couldn't make it. but she -- she just -- kept fighting throughout. she actually set up her own foundation, elizabeth taylor, 1991. and through that, she was one of the first to be -- to recognize the notion that if aids existed -- if it exists anywhere essentially exists everywhere. she helped focus us on a more international agenda. realizing it is not an american problem. >> kenneth cole. our sympathies with everyone at the organization. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you, ann. >> also joining us is peter castro, deputy managing editor for "people" magazine. we have courtney hazlett, today.com pop culture correspondent. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> what can you add about -- to this courage that it must have taken for her in 1958 to be a

part of this cause, peter? >> yes, it was fantastic she raised all this money. yes, fantastic that as kenneth said raised awareness. perhaps nothing was more important than when she stood beside rock hudson and held his hand and at that moment let's not forget we think about -- you know, yes, we are used to it now. back then it was a shocking thing. literally millions of americans were shocked by it. she taught americans it is okay to touch people with aids and that encouraged a lot of people to then go volunteer in hospitals and work with aids patients. that to me was vital. >> both of you also are of the view that she really crossed generations. she really was an icon in the true sense of the word and from hollywood. >> definitely. she entered into the hollywood by the age of 9 and remained there. we spent so much time now -- making some sort of sense with it. especially the younger stars. i think i can say with certainly i don't see a star out there right now who can possibly live

up to what elizabeth was to be able do. not only does she stay in the spotlight but weathered tremendous public difficulties. private life was out there and she handled it all gracefully and set the bar so high. >> her talent was remarkable. it really was. >> people forget that. there was a scandal there but she won two oscars. she was -- nobody could see the screen the roy she did. when she was 10 years old and on the set of "lassie come home," the cameraman said to 10-year-old elizabeth taylor, remove your eyelashes. she says i don't have any on. okay, then please remove your mascara. she said i don't have any on. who looks like that? >> she grew up to be in "who's afraid of virginia woolf." "cat on a hot tin roof." >> "cleopatra." these real groundbreaking iconic roles. and it is just -- she is such -- lightning in a bottle. you don't have that sort of human being anymore and those

types of roles also aren't there in the same way. >> courtney hazlett, peter castro, thank you so much for your perspective this morning. let's get a check of the morning's weather from al. >> all right. thanks a lot, ann. we have warm weather in the south. it is freezing in the north. and as you can see temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above normal. 90s southern texas. 80s throughout the gulf coast, mid atlantic states. you go north of this system and we have teens and 20s in the plains. 20s and 30s in northern new england and parts of the north. you can see we also have a risk of strong storms without -- with the warm scare cold air clash. possibility of isolated showers in the good morning to you. we've got a lot of heavy rain coming down. take a look. it has cleared the greater bay area and we're going to see improvement through the next couple of hours. then our focus shifts the possibility of strong thunderstorms developing. that will be the case as we head throughout this afternoon. here's what's to come next. a nice break from the rain

before the next band moves in. that will be later on today with that instability. strong storms to develop, then a stronger system moves in tonight. and that's your latest weather. >> thank you. you can read much more about elizabeth taylor on our website at today.com. coming up this morning, we are going to lighten things up and talk about mixed emotions. baby horrified and thrilled by the sight of his mom blowing her nose. we will meet this cute little guy. okt m go. hey ella! hey. here's boulder. ok, see you in an hour. [ boulder barks ] bye, bye. here we go. come on boulder. aah! [ dog barks ] aah! come on, guys! daisy! whoo! aah! [ female announcer ] lunchables cheese pizza -- now with mandarin oranges. because a great lunch, inspires great ideas. ♪ [ dog barks ] there's power in a great lunch. ♪ it doesn't get better than this ♪

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this morning on "today's consumer," bill shock. have you ever done a double take at a cell phone bill that was much higher than expected? if so, you're not alone. peter alexander has details. >> good morning to you. bills are no phone and these days everyone has a cell phone or a smartphone. it's likely happened to you or someone you know. you open up the bill and find it's into the hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars. plenty of people are fired up including the f.c.c. it's enough to make your head spin. the cell phone company bills, pages and pages of them filled with charges nearly impossible to decipher. >> my mouth is gaping. i'm like, what? >> reporter: reba and her husband were stunned after they found out after a three-day

canadian vacation they piled up a bill of $3,100 mostly in international roaming charges. >> they're charging for this, this, this. then i got my husband. i was like, alan, something's wrong. >> reporter: for the price of bob st. jermaine's bill he could have bought a car. $18,000 in data charges that piled up when his son used his phone to go online. theirs are extreme cases. millions of others experienced some form of what's called bill shock. it caught the attention of the f.c.c. chairman. how big of a problem is it? >> our survey found 1 of every 6 subscribers have had a form of bill shock. it's a problem. >> reporter: the f.c.c. is proposing a simple technology solution, mandatory warnings from the cell phone companies when a subscriber runs up an oversized bill. >> before you go over the limit, you can get an alert -- text,

voice -- from your mole bile company saying, hey, you're getting close to the limit. >> reporter: some lawmakers want to take it a step further. tom udal said carriers should have to get permission from customers who hit plan limits before allowing them to keep wracking up charges. the wireless association representing the largest carriers opposes the plan. they argue most consumers are satisfied with service and can easily monitor their own bills. >> there are a number of tools that every major carrier provides where you can find out in realtime at any time day or night exactly what the status of your billing is. believe me, the last thing anybody wants in the industry is an unhappy customer. >> reporter: clearly these consumers weren't happy. >> we are not going to pay such an outlandsish amounts. >> reporter: we contacted their carriers. t-mobile said the international roaming charges were valid.

but as a one-time courtesy they reduced the charges by half. >> now we're paranoid using the cell phone. we have not had closure. >> reporter: bob fought his bill and verizon eventually dropped the charges altogether. it didn't end his outrage or his demands. >> we need to be contacted like the credit card companies do. >> reporter: $18,000. the battle continues. the f.c.c. is expected to move forward with the push for mandatory alerts beginning this spring. we spoke to carriers including verizon, t-mobile and at&t. in many cases they said they already send alerts and insist they are trying to improve the system to help customers avoid bill shock. sometimes they may charge you a fee just to get the alerts when you reach your limit. >> meantime, while this is going on, what are we supposed to do to protect ourselves? >> it's a good question.

we tried this and it's harder than i thought it might be to do. for a lot of companies the policy varies. it's up to each individual to stay on top of the bill for themselves. you want to check it online if you can or by calling in throughout the course of the month instead of waiting for the bill. if you don't already have alerts set up, you need to reach out to the company directly and see what their notification rules are. >> thanks for the warning. peter alexander, thanks. up next, the baby both horrified and delighted -- whoa -- by mom's nose blowing. we'll meet him and his parents coming up after this. [ male announcer ] springtime belongs to the doers.

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take a look. [ blowing nose ] [ laughter ] >> 5 1/2-month-old emerson is home with his parents karen and michael this morning. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> i checked this morning around 5:30, maybe 6:00 and there were 8.9 hits on the youtube video. >> million. >> a few minutes ago we checked and it's 9.2 million. so people are really watching the video. >> oh, my goodness. >> how did you get this on tape? >> well, monday -- last monday i was taping him because i was really sick. i had a runny nose and i was blowing it. he was just hilarious. just decided to put it up.

>> first, it's too bad your baby isn't cute. >> yeah, right. [ laughter ] >> is this the first time that emerson has reacted to something like this in this way? >> definitely in that way, yes. he was a little scared. i had been sick for about a week. he did get scared a few times but he never had laughed like that. >> is this the only sound he's ever reacted to? >> where are you going with this? >> see, i thought i was going to say something like that. >> so, karen, have you tried blowing your nose since? what happens if you do it now? >> oh, there's no reaction anymore. he's over it. >> he got used to it. >> fool me once, shame on me -- you. fool me twice, shame on me. >> so adorable. >> what a sweetie. >> yeah. he's your only child? >> mm-hmm. >> he has a lot of personality. how else does he express

himself, you guys? >> he just loves his parents and his toys right now. he's 5 1/2 months. not much going on in his life now. >> what do your friends and family say having seen that he's gone viral? >> they are shocked as we are. we never expected this at all. >> that is the greatest face. >> really cute. >> he's shocked. 9 million hits. what? >> ann said it earlier. with my nose, that kid would be blown out of the chair. we're happy that didn't happen. you guys are great. thanks for sharing emerson with us this morning. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> we're back after l [ male announcer ] there's just something about werther's caramel that makes a chocolate so smooth and creamy, you don't just taste it, you feel it. ♪ do you believe in magic? ♪ ♪ it's magic ♪

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good morning. it's 7:56. if you haven't been outside check in with meteorologist christina loren. good morning. >> that about sums it up. it's bad out there this morning. but we're seeing a little bit of improvement. all of the red is starting to turn over to oranges and yellows, still indicating moderate rain coming down to the east of san jose. the greater bay area is going to get a chance to dry out. then our next concern shifts to the possibility of strong thunderstorms developing especially in the places that get the most sunshine. we're going to see a break before the next band of rain. this will happen later this afternoon bringing about showery conditions. for the most part we're done with the heavy rain. you saw what's left of it on the radar. later on today strong storms will be possible, then a vonger storm moves in as we head into

tonight making for another dangerous commute tomorrow morning. temperatures today only end up in the 50s. 55 in fremont, 54 in san jose and 55 in san francisco. tomorrow more rain on the way. we do have the threat of downed trees, the windy system on the way and we already got saturated ground, maybe another two inches of rain as we head into tomorrow. the drive right now with all of that rain. >> heavier volume. 4 westbound as you commute, east had two accidents clearing. again it's not as much of an issue. southbound 242 in the commute direction an accident around the 680 interchange. 680, walnut creek, getting toward the caldecott, slow toward the bay bridge toll plaza. the east shore freeway. coming up to this backup at the toll plaza. the accident cleared from the incline so better flow off of

the oakland side. the san mateo side, more wet weather, windy conditions at times on the eastbound off of the peninsula to the east bay. we had a stall sounds like it's cleared. moving toward the camera. >> thank you much. about with an hour from now testimony will resume in the trial of two men accused of killing oakland journalist chauncey bailey. the bakery leader and 25-year-old antoine maki are on trial for bailey's death and two other men in 2007. prosecutors say bay ordered the murders in order to benefit the bakery. more local news in a half hour. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through

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i get this season's designer clothes and i still get to eat. fashion direct from designers. savings direct to you. t.j.maxx. let us make a maxxinista out of you. back now at 8:00 am aon the west coast on this wednesday, march 23rd, 2011. hollywood mourns the loss of one of the old guard, elizabeth taylor, a true legend in every sense of the word. died overnight at the age of 79. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry and al roker. meredith is off. i'm thinking there are probably in the audience that never saw an elizabeth taylor movie. >> there have been so many amazing movies. i'm sure they're going to start to play them now that we got the

sad news of her death. >> it started early. she was a child actor. she appeared in 50 films and won two academy awards. >> that's right. i was looking at the quotes that she's talked about, you know, especially when it comes to aids and she really talked about, you know, basically that sad enough to die of aids. it's worse to die of ignorance. and she's been a major force in trying to teach people about aids. anyway, we said that taylor was the founding national chairperson for the american foundation for aids research and the organization she was the first chairperson for just released a statement about her death saying "she leaves a monumental legacy that has improved and extended millions of lives and will enrich countless more for generations to come"ment she helped raise $50 million by 1999 in aids research. >> and the awareness also. miguel, good morning to you in los angeles. >> reporter: good morning. elizabeth taylor was hospitalized at cedar sinai a few miles from here for the last six weeks. she had been struggling with

heart problems and spent her 79th birthday last month at the hospital. today her children were by her bedside when she passed away. elizabeth taylor had a long history of health problems. she underwent at least 20 major operations. she nearly died from a bout with pneumonia in 1990. taylor was known as a lend enge actress and icon. some would say that her private life was every bit as dramatic as her on-screen rolls. taylor was married eight times. later in life she focused her attention on the hiv aids epidem epidemic, becoming a tirls advocates. this morning tributes are pouring in. elton john says we have just lost a hollywood giant. more importantly, we have lost an incredible human being. dead at the age of 79, elizabeth taylor is survived by her four

children and ten grandchildren. matt, we just got in a short time ago what may have been the last published picture of elizabeth taylor. it's her celebrating her 79th birthday ten days before she was checked into the hospital, matt. >> mig knell los angeles, thank you very much. let us get a check of the other morning's top stories from natalie morales. natalie? >> good morning. good morning, everyone. for the first time in seven years an explosion rocks central jerusalem this morning. israeli security officials say militants planted a two pound explosive device in a bag next to a bus stop. the explosion wounded at least 26 people and it could be heard throughout the city. it comes at a time of heightened tension between israel and hamas. nato will begin using warships to enforce a united nations arms embargo against libya. today coalition aircraft led by the u.s. attacked forces loyal to gadhafi who had been assaulting a rebel held city.

officials in japan say radiation levels in the water supply too high for infants. they're telling parents they're to use bottled water instead. meantime, workers trying to stabilize that damaged nuclear power plant were temporarily evacuated again today when smoke rose from the complex. more than a half foot of snow could pile up today from the great plains to new england. and blowing know close e snow cs in north dakota. the consumer product safety commission reannounced the recall of the delta enterprise safety peg drop side crib after a second infant became trapped and died in one. the crib was originally recalled in 2008. the problem continues with second hand purchases. and for more on this, be sure to head to our website today.com. a new study finds that nearly half of lap band waist lost surgery patient has to have the bands removed because of

long-term kplingcomplications. surgery and follow up care improved greatly since the 1990s. it is 8:05. you're up today. let's turn it back over to matt and ann. >> thank you so much. >> do you have a check of the weather? >> we certainly do. take a look out west for our friends there. our pick city, san francisco. nbc's bay area. periods ofain and cool. 54 degrees. we're going to be looking at another big storm moving in. that is bringing showers and also looking at some pretty heavy mountain snows. rainfall amounts anywhere from two to three inches of rain. ground is already super saturated. nowhere for that watter to go. there will be flooding. we're also going to be talking about a foot and half of snow in the sierra and cascades. and we've got another set of storms off shore. and those storms will be marching in, bringing in more heavy rain right on into the weekend. that's what's going on aroun good morning to you.

well, we've got a lot of heavy rain coming down over the bay area. you'll notice from the radar it's starting to thin out. redwood city, you'll get a break in the next 15 minutes. take a look what's on its way to places like concord and walnut creek, heavy rain. thunderstorms are a next concern. we'll get a little bit of a break before the next band moves in. temperatures today will be mostly in the mid-50s. >> and that's your latest weather. matt? >> thank you very much. coming up, we'll have much more on the life and legacy of elizabeth taylor. a look back at her remarkable career right after this. a

that's your latest weather. >> we are all sitting here reacting to the terrible news from los angeles that elizabeth taylor has passed away. legend is a word that's overused. this is a legend. think about her film career, her career as a businesswoman, her incredible work on behalf of people with aids raising awareness and raising millions and millions of dollars for the possible cure of that disease. she is a legend. hold up. why are we stopping? just need to refill my walgreens prescription. [ shouting in native language ] i don't know what he's saying right now. he says you're gonna get frostbite in under 30 seconds.

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that fit into your budget and your lunch hour. only at red lobster. back now at 8:09 with more on the death of elizabeth taylor. her career earned her millions of fans. her personal life was sometimes stormy. we have more on the icon that died at the age of 79. >> reporter: she was one of the last of the screen goddesses from hollywood's golden age, born in london to american parents in 1932, elizabeth roseman taylor moved to los angeles just before the outbreak of world war ii. >> eat your bread. >> reporter: small roles in movies like "jane air" and "lassie come home" led to her first leading role at 12 in "national velvet." >> father, he is the loveliest thing. he never puts a foot wrong.

>> who? >> i'm in love with him. >> reporter: at 18, taylor showed her acting range as a spoiled socialite in "a place in the sun." >> i'll go on loving you as long as i live. >> reporter: nominated multiple times for the best actress academy award in such roles as the ignored wife in "cat on a hot tin roof." >> not by the crowd, baby, by you, by the man i wore shipped. that's why i hated skipper! >> reporter: and the confused murder witness in "suddenly last summer." oscar finally came calling for the role of a call girl in "butter field eight." >> you can't have everything in life. >> reporter: and again for a drunken and abusive wife in "who's afraid of virginia wolf." >> oh, boy! you really are having a field day, aren't you? >> reporter: her private life was every bit as dramatic as the

roles she played on screen, married eight times sh, actor richard burton became her husband twice. >> i have had everything. i've had my share of joy, pain, luck, rough times. >> reporter: taylor struggled with health problems throughout her life. near fatal bouts of pneumonia, substance abuse issues and even a brain tumor. but she survived them all. >> either you look forward to waking up or you don't. i do. these have always brought me luck. >> reporter: as her acting career wand, she embarked on personal ventures launching a perfume empire and publishing a best-selling diet book after years of struggling with her own weight problem. but her later years were defined by her tireless crusade to focus the world's attention on aids. >> the government is not doing enough. they should be sending billions. >> reporter: in september 2009,

she appeared frail and her friend michael jackson's funeral. she is survived by four children and ten grandchildren. elizabeth taylor was 79 years old. nbc news, los angeles. >> kate coin is the editor of "people" magazine. good morning you to. >> good morning. >> reaction? >> this is the death of the final real hollywood movie star. she was an icon. and the likes of her will never be seen again. >> you say -- you made a strong statement, you say never. >> never. i can't imagine what could ever surpass the level of beauty, glamour, passion, scandal, heartbreak that she fit into her 79 years. it almost seems the amount of living she did was too much for one life to contain. >> you know, i wonder whether that will be how she's defined or whether she is also equally or mow defined by her work on

aids. she's been quoted as saying it is bad enough that people are dying of aids. but no one should die of ignorance. she was a voice in starting amfar, a very important organization at that time. people thought that aids was god's wrath. >> god's wrath, it was deserved in some way. and the anger and the passion and the information that she brought to this fight at a time when no one was stepping up. least of all, the government. to do anything about this. she transformed the fight against this disease into something that now they have raised over $450 million to fight this. and that is due so much to her, such a credit to her legacy. >> larry king earlier this morning was talking about how she really did like her gems. there is also another quote that says big girls need big diamonds. a dor wearing gems but not because they are mine. you can't possess radiance, can you only admire it. there is another bit that reveals her sense of humor.

she says i'm a very committed wife. i should be committed. >> you know, there are so many facets to use a gem term of her legacy. you think about what she did with amfar and then the passion for jewelry which she documented. you think about her acting legacy. you think about her personal legacy, the marriages, the breakups, the makeups. and, you know, it's astounding how much living she did. >> also i was noticing, i was checking. i followed her on twitter. she was very modern in that way. and she didn't tweet a lot. but in her credited account there is a lot of sort of wisdom, stuff that says like "give, remember always to give. that is the thing that will make you grow. you are who you are. all you can do had this world is help others to be who they are and better themselves and those around them." it sound as though, it seems, as she got older, there was a

degree of wisdom she deigned if all the living. >> wisdom and the driving force of her movement, compassion. she had a tremendous sense of compassion, a generosity of spirit towards others less fortunate, towards others who needed help and understanding themselves. i think she really benefited from people showing her compassion and empathy throughout her life. that is something she endefrd to give to others. >> we spoke -- we saw her a moment ago speaking before the united nations. she was awarded the title of dame in britain. has she won pretty much every award? was there something she was missing? >> nothing really. i mean, you know, you think about the work and one could say a nobel peace prize would have been something that might have been considered. but, you know, she won the oscar. she won the love of millions and millions of fans. i think probably that was what was most important of all. >> okay. kate coin, thank you so much. really important to have your perspective this morning. it's valuable in understanding

the passing of an icon, agizabeth taylor who die t the age of 79. we're back right after this. [ female announcer ] sometimes you need tomorrow to finish what you started today. for the aches and sleeplessness in between, there's motrin pm. no other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. motrin pm. ranks quicken loans "highest in customer satisfaction in the united states." and if we're this happy about providing great customer satisfaction, imagine how happy you'll be receiving it.

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♪ what do you say in a moment like this ♪ we're back with more of our special series "what do you say." embarrassing social situations today. if you have been to dinner with a friend who's being rude to the waiter or congratulated a friend on her pregnancy only to find

she's not pregnant. janine miller is editor of my brown baby.com. happens to us all. either you're walking out of the bathroom and your zipper is open or you're standing in front of the guy who stands in front of the guy with the zipper open. why do we get so flustered? >> oh, god. life hands us predictable bad situations but somehow it's the little unpredictable one that gets under our skin. we want to be helpful, but are we the best positioned one to do it? maybe not. >> we asked viewers to e-mail us about the awkward and uncomfortable situations they have bn in. a very popular scenario deals with people congratulating someone on being pregnant. tracy many missouri writes i was working as a bank teller when a member said, oh, you're expecting. i wasn't. i took her receipt, turned around to replace it in front of

her and replied, no, i'm just fat. she didn't help the offender out here. >> at all. >> in any way. how do you react if you're the one that it's been said to? >> well, you don't go and make fun of yourself or make another person feel bad. though it feels bad to have someone tell you that you look fat enough to be 9 months pregnant. actually say, no, i'm not, but thank you for the compliment. >> sometimes your face gives it away. you turn red. they know you're embarrassed but you have to show compassion. >> they're embarrassed, too. >> i think matt gets it right. the guy or woman who says, oh, congratulations is probably going to be suffering in the grand scheme of things more than you are. >> absolutely. >> how about this from melissa in texas? when my son was two months old a person told me not to worry, that it might take months to get the baby fat off and regain my prebaby figure. it was awkward to explain that

we had adopted. you're the person who's said that. how do you respond? just, i'm sorry? >> no. in that case the first thing you do is stop talking. so many times you think, okay, there's the horizon. if i just keep talking and swim to the horizon -- >> you dig in deeper. >> it's not the raincoat that makes her look fatter or the bad lighting. you have your foot in your mouth. stop talking and say, i'm sorry. i feel like a doofus. >> let's take a different example. we have all had this. you go up to a guy, in particular, and say, hi, flphil how are you and you give me a limp, limp handshake. under any circumstances do i say something about that? >> absolutely not. >> no. >> i don't think you do. >> unless you're the grandmother. then you say, honey! >> man up. >> unless you know the person

well, you would never say, hey, i think it would be better if you had a firmer handshake. >> there are all kinds of problems in the world. the question is are you the best suited person to solve the problem? if it is a person you're just meeting, probably not. >> i agree. it's rude to say, you have the weakest handshake ever. >> let's try this situation. under what conditions do you tell someone they have bad breath? >> oh, always. i do. i tell people. >> someone you barely know? >> well, you don't say, you have the stinkiest breath on the planet. offer a mint. >> that's a hint. >> absolutely. >> well, pull out mints and it's a signal that somebody has stinky breath. >> how about this one? this arrives in workplaces all the time. this is from vanessa in texas. on jeans friday i wore jeans with holes in them. the first thing my coworker tells me is those are

inappropriate for work. they look like club jeans. point taken. without being offended i will wear them again. did the person who pointed it out do the right thing? >> yeah. vanessa said, point taken. i won't wear the jeans but i would say no generally. you're not -- no one died and made you the jeans police. >> if you cared about the person could you say, i want you to be taken seriously in this company and i fear those jeans don't allow you to be taken seriously. >> absolutely. it's a message you don't want to get from the boss. if you're close with a co-worker and you can say, hey, those pants, maybe not. >> that's the line of demarcation. you came up with a good line here. if you're doing it because you're just annoyed at having to look at the jeans, lay off. if you want to help, terrific. >> if the baby is kicking your airplane seat you

drk anind flie yp itou drink and flip itover. thanks. we're back after your local news. good morning. i'm laura garcia-cannon. barry bonds' jury trial continues today. bonds just arrived at the courthouse. >> reporter: laura, good morning. barry bonds just arrived here at the federal courthouse in san francisco. literally just about 15 minutes ago. now, we caught him as he stepped out of an suv, quickly ducking into the courtroom to escape the rain. you mentioned this is day two of his percentagely trial. back on the stand today for cross-examination is jeff nowitzki, the lead investigators in the probe.

he said bonds' testimony was inconsistent to the facts. that was to a federal grand jury. next will be a friend and business manager of bonds. they hope to play a secretly taped conversation he had with bonds' trainer, greg anderson. the prosecution alleges anderson talked about giving bonds injection. a live look at your morning commute coming up after the break.

8:28. h horible drive for 87 all the way up to kirtner. a new accident on 280. a problem for the south bay as well. coming up through 880 past the coliseum. still a mess. clouds, gray skies, wet weather, slippery conditions. just be very careful out there. >> thank you very much. another local news update in half an hour. see you then. ♪ [ male announcer ] when sean was looking at mba programs, he wanted a curriculum designed to meet market needs, with faculty who brought real-world perspective on where the business world was headed and the practical experience to help him make an impact.

my name is sean blankenship, i'm making the electric car more accessible, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] learn more about the school of business at phoenix.edu. 8:30 now on a wednesday morning. it's also the 23rd day of march, 2011. if you look carefully there at the top of the rock in midtown manhattan you can see it's snowing in new york city. >> oh, my gosh. >> not exactly what we wanted to be saying on this third full day of spring. but you know what?

make the best of it. >> don't get upset. >> right. that's a smart thing. >> that's a kindergarten thing. i'm matt lauer along with ann curry filling in for meredith vieira. natalie morales joins us as does al roker. coming up in this half hour we'll talk about planning your summer vacation. if you went to your friends and said, i will be renting a villa on my next location. >> la-di-da. >> get a load of mrs. vanderbilt. actually they can be an affordable option to pricey hotels. kate maxwell is here from conde nast travel. >> we did that one time. with our family. >> let's clear that up. with our families. >> martha stewart's in the house and will show us how to make savory pies which sounds perfect for today. you can see on the table that bacon is involved. >> mushrooms, garlic and bacon.

the smells are intoxicating. >> i love it. >> also coming up, there are so many different kinds of websites out there. especially for online dating. there's a site out there for people who want to have an affair. >> yeah. >> the tagline is, life is short, have an affair. we'll introduce you to people who have been doing this. >> i wonder how much money that site is making. >> do they charge? >> they must have some way. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> here in the northeast today we'll be looking at more rain and snow. you can see strong storms in the upper ohio river valley. heavy rain on the west coast. mountain snows. then for tomorrow we have snowshowers left in the northeast. cold around the great lakes. the heavy rain continues for the west coast with the snow and mountains. hot through texas. mild and sunny through the gulf

coast into the southeast. good morning to you. well, we've still got some strang areas of heavy rain coming down. we're watching those for you. clearing continues. our next focus shifts to the possibility of some strong thunderstorms later on this afternoon. we pick up that daytime heating. today's temperatures will end up in the mid-50s. 54 in redwood city, and 53 degrees up in santa rosa. another weathermaker for tonight. and flood potential continues all the way through tomorrow afternoon as a result. don't forget, you can check your weather any time day or night on weather channel on cable, weather.com online. let's see how the weather is for willard down in florida. >> all right. u.s. navy, seaman first class, what do you think of that? we're going to cruise the florida waters. we have the best crew in town, our smuckers birthday crew. take a look if you will, please.

we have matsui makaishima from hayward, california. attended school late in life to get her high school diploma. we have robert scott. ormond beach, florida. just across the road here. 101. proud world war ii veteran who loves to tell war stories. some folks do, some don't. we have vearl hagen of goodrich, north dakota. loves to workout doors on her farm. secret to longevity is drinking milk every day. good old cow's milk. can't beat it. been around forever. and we have charlie barcio of kissimmee, florida. 107 years old. rides 8 to 12 miles on his bike every day.

stays healthy. mind sharp as a tack. t.j. rosson of georgetown, texas. loves to read and take care of his garden. still rides his four-wheel scooter all over town. finally we have for thousands of fans up there, jolan farkas from colonia, new jersey, 102. excellent cook and baker. loves to read and do crossword puzzles. i appear in new york occasionally. back to you. >> thank you very much. the sign says, please help us embarrass our mom and kids. i'm now an accomplice. when we come back, martha stewart puts a unique twist on pies and tarts. first this is "today" on nbc. a great looking lawn like this,

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>> announcer: martha on today is brought to you by macy's. the martha stewart collection is available at macy's and at macys.com. >> this morning on "martha an today" savory pies from a vegetable galette to tarts there is more to a pie than apples and berries. martha stewart is here with savory options from her new book "martha stewart's new pies and tarts". >> new as opposed to the old pies and tarts. this is my fifth book. the new one is the 73rd or 74th book. isn't that great? >> it's a controversy? >> there are so many it's hard to count. i think it's the 76th. but it's great. >> this is from 1985. >> congratulations. you're a grandmother. >> baby jude stewart was born on the 8th of march. >> a little girl. >> she'll be a great baker.

she's rolled out pie crusts already. >> speaking of these you have beautiful ones for us to look at. >> these are the savory pies and tarts that come from that section of the book. people really like savory. this is basically a pizza in a crust. >> nothing that comes out of my oven will look like that. >> they do, they do. that's tomatoes, mozzarella. this is swiss chard and pignolli nuts. this is a wonderful zucchini and summer squash. this is red and golden beets. >> tell us about the flaky crust. >> it's easy. two and a quarter cups of all purpose flour. then two sticks of butter, unsalted. i always use unassau assaulsalt chilled. everything should be cold when

making a pie crust. don't forget parmesan cheese. one egg yolk and a teaspoon of salt. >> oh. >> you just -- excuse me. it helps a lot if you have a food processor. 15 seconds, you make the crust. >> i have heard when working with a crust you don't want to overhandle or overmix it. >> that's it. all the big pieces of butter in there still and add your water, up to a quarter cup of ice water. >> ice? >> but it should be strained. if you get ice in there it makes ale hole in the crust. >> yeah. >> i rolled out the crust, but this is easy. people say they can't lift up their crust. if you roll it on the pin and unroll it right into the dish it's easier. >> all these years i didn't know that. >> and then you just snip around the edge like this. big snips.

>> you're doing it because you will use that eventually? >> yes. it's easy. put that in there. >> this in here? >> no, no. everything in the bowl. >> zuchinni and garlic and cherry tomatoes. >> they are so good now. they must be from florida. >> and this wonderful filling is -- >> more parmesan cheese. >> parmesan cheese -- >> pretty, too. >> six tablespoons of flour to help thicken the juices. bocaccini, the little mozzarella. >> this is a real country feeling and look. >> yeah. >> really stir down to the bottom. salt and pepper. >> you just dump it in there. >> right in here. >> do it now? >> right.

>> okay. excuse me, martha. >> that's all right. just like that, the whole thing. >> wow, look at that. i think i'll stop -- >> no, no. keep going. what are you going to do with that? that's part of the pie. >> it needs to be filled to the top. >> i'll take that. >> it has flour on it. >> this is the easy part. lift it up like this and this. >> look how pretty it is. >> looks pretty. >> how long do you bake it? >> 400 degrees oven for 50 minutes. put your egg and cream wash on it. >> it looks professionally done. beautiful. >> we have just a minute left. give us the basics of the quiche. >> two eggs and one egg yolk. mix it up. you have one already made for now. >> it has something else in it. >> just pour that into the

crust. these are pre-baked crust. it's the same crust recipe without cheese. this is custard, heavy cream, two eggs and a yolk. half a cup of heavy cream, half a cup of milk, salt and pepper. >> right. pardon me chan chee parmesan cheese? >> all the cheese. >> does it matter what order? >> no. just put it in there. >> how long does it bake? >> it bakes at 375 for about 45 minutes. follow the directions. baking is not so difficult. you can do mushroom, bacon and onion. >> leeks and onion? >> i like mushroom, bacon and onion. isn't that lorraine? >> yes. >> we'll sample in a second. thank you very much. >> so excited for you, martha. >> up next, affordable villas for your next vacation. first this is "today" on nbc.

we're back at 8:45. this morning, affordable vacation villas may sound expensive but they can be a little bit cheaper than hotel rooms. conde nast traveler takes a look in its upcoming edition. kate, nice to see you. >> nice to see you. >> villas sound very la-di-da but we are saying they are any rental property or house. >> you think of a sprawling tuscan estate with the price tag to match but villa is a generic term for vacation rentals. >> what kind of traveler are they suited for? >> they are good for big groups. they sleep 10 people. also a slightly more independent traveler. you're not going to be able to call to get your club sandwich

at 3:00 a.m. but you can make it yourself because they have full kitchens which is a way to save money because you don't have to eat out three times a day. >> it's more authentic because you're living in a house, someone's neighborhood. let's look at examples you brought. the first is in sonoma, california. this comes at under $100 per person. >> the villa specialist, we have a list of the top meticulously vetted villa specialists. beautiful places and sonoma is west of napa. classic wine country. it's on the sebastiani winery. you have views of the vines, orchards. it's $97 per person per night. >> that's a good price. you have housekeeping? >> and a great pool. for a sophisticated bachelor party or a cross generational trip which is increasingly popular. >> that's a contradiction in terms. sophisticated bachelor party. this one's in costa rica.

has a private pool, housekeeping, access to a beach club and still under $100 per person. >> $90 per night. fantastic houses on the pacific coast of costa rica. they can set up zip lining, surf lessons and visits to volcanos. >> this place will be booked ten years in a row now. >> they have multiple properties, sometimes 300 in the area. >> let's move to montana. this villa is like a log cabin. the towering pines on the madison river. tell me about this one. >> villas come in all shapes an sizes. this is on the madison river. if you like fly fishing this is for you. 30 minutes from yellowstone. it sleeps six and works out to $65 per person per night. it's a mountain home. >> does that company mountain home also allow you to connect to fishing guides and things like that? do they help with the other part

of travel? >> they are like a friend on the ground. they can organize that stuff for you. >> let's get more exotic, not that the first ones aren't. now to tuscany in europe which people think the dollar isn't great there. not a good time to go. what do you say? >> it's $122 per person per night. compared to the hotels it compares favorably. this is casa gertrude. it's close to sienna which is a stunning city. absolutely gorgeous. it has a lovely pool and lovely al fres codining area. >> looks gorgeous. >> it's lovely. >> finale one in the caribbean on st. martin. you have a good tip. you say if people are trying to book a villa in the caribbean, best in terms of price, be willing to take something not right on the beach but steps from the beach. >> that's a common sense way to

save money. thisle villa means honeymoon in french. it has a stunning wraparound pool. three minutes' drive from the beach. a gorgeous island with great food. it's $135 per person per night. it sleeps four people, so two couples. >> but your point is well taken. for people rushing to the phones now to book these particular villas the companies that rent the villas have other great options as well. >> they have loads of options. >> good information, kate. thank you very much. up next, point, click and cheat. the controversial website for people who want to have affairs. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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fashion direct from designers. savings direct to you. that's right. i'm a maxxinista. t.j.maxx. let us make a maxxinista out of you. and we're back now at 8:52. there is a controversial online dating site for married men and women who want to cheat on their spouses. here's nbc's kevin tibbles. >> welcome to the club. >> reporter: ashley madison is brash, bold and makes no apologies for being the premier matchmaker for aspiring adulterers. >> isn't it time for ashleymadison.com? >> reporter: the website where stefania and michael say they first met and had an affair. >> i have had people question how i met her. >> reporter: the questionable

entrepreneur behind the website is 39-year-old noel beaterman. he claims that next to facebook ashleymadison will be the fastest growing social network. it will be boasts 8.5 million members in ten countries. you can log on for free but must pay for credits to talk to someone beyond an initial e-mail. it has sparked considerable outrage. >> the ashley madison website is moralery reprehensible. the owner is promoting adultery, making it easier for people to have affairs. >> reporter: for this month's issue, two redbook reporters went undercover meeting dates in public places and not in the bedroom. >> that was the most shocking experience. the response i got were very sexual. >> there are a lot of unhappy people using ashley madison as a way to escape their marriage for a while. >> reporter:le while discreet sex is a motivating factor,

others seek an emotional connection. ashley madison introduced us to two women who asked that their identified be concealed. >> we don't get along well. he took my self-esteem from me. meeting other men, i have gotten that back. >> ashley madison, for me, guarantees that the person that i'm going to be involved with has just as much to lose in their life as i do. >> reporter: taking morality out of the equation made noel a rich man. is he a home wrecker? >> monogamy is on its last legs. that's where we are. >> reporter: guilt? >> absolutely not. i have no guilt. like i said, this made me a better wife, a better mother. i am a happier person because of this. >> reporter: stefania and michael, unhappily married to other people are now married to each other, they say happily. is there guilt? >> i'm not proud of it.

but i don't regret that i met michael. >> reporter: the business of having an affair has become big business. for "today" kevin tibbles, nbc news, toronto. >> all right. okay. let's eat more quiche. it's amazing. >> this is embarrassing. i have a little of everything that martha made. >> you have a buffet. >> a sampler. it's good. >> just ahead from dust to electronics, how healthy is your bedroom? >> we have a theme show today. first a look at your local news and weather.

good morning, everyone. it's 8:56. the santa cruz harbor is finally opened. it was closed after about 100 boats were damaged or sunk by the tsunami two weeks ago. the waters near the harbor are once again safe for boats. the tsunami caused $26 million

in damage to the harbor. important things going on in traffic. let's get right to mike. >> a horrible drive through the maze. and also the south bay, seeing unusual slowing. speeds below 30 for almost all these major highways approaching the maze. we have flooding north of the coliseum at broadway. the off-ramp might be affected right now. there you go again, tough to see the peninsula because of all the mist in the air. slippery conditions getting off and onto the roadways. "today" show continues coming up next. i'm gonna use less honey. i'm gonna text less. well, i'm gonna use less bath tissue with charmin!!! [ female announcer ] with charmin ultra soft you can feel good while using less. charmin ultra soft's ultra-cushiony design is soft and more absorbent.

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never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days-- i can do that. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me. we had an outpouring of-- of support. i wanted to do something bigger than myself. the 60 miles-- it makes a statement. i know i'm stronger than i was before, both mentally and physically. i walk with my sister. our relationship has gone to a whole new level because of training together. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. i knew that there was something really special about this event. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. it was three days of hope. of love. of empowerment. it was three days the way the world should be. here i am, second year in a row, and i'm already signed up for next year's.

(man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. back now with more on this wednesday, march 23rd, 2011. the sad news out of los angeles, where elizabeth taylor has died at the age of 79. the two-time academy award winner famed for her talent and incredible beauty, passed away surrounded by friends and family at a los angeles hospital. she had been in the hospital for congestive heart failure, we're hearing for the past six weeks. i'm matt lauer alongside ann curry and ann roker. taylor was the last of the goddesses of the golden age of hollywood. and you can see more of these stunning photos at life.com. and coming up in this half hour,

we'll talk to a man who was married to taylor for six years, former u.s. senator, john warner. >> and she also had four children, and one of them, her son, michael wilding has said, my mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest with great passion, humor, and love. though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. >> and as we've been talking, she was one of the first advocates for aids research. worked tirelessly, raising millions of dollars to fight aids and also trying to de-stigmatize the disease. and that work won her a third special oscar for her charitable works. her good friend, elton john, released this statement this morning. "we have just lost a hollywood giant. more importantly, we have lost an incredible human being." >> let's begin in los angeles with nbc's miguel almaguer. miguel, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning.

elizabeth taylor has been hospitalized at cedars-sinai a few miles from here for the last few weeks. she had been struggling with heart problems and spent her 79th birthday last month at the hospital. today, her four children were at her bedside when she passed away. elizabeth taylor had a long history of health problems. she underwent at least 20 major operations. she nearly died from a bout with pneumonia back in 1990. here in hollywood and all around the world, taylor was known as a legendary actress and icon. she was a two-time oscar winner for her performances in "butterfield eight" and "who's afraid of virginia wolff." she was married eight times, her husbands were actors, a construction worker, even a u.s. senator. later in life, though, she focused her attention on the hiv/aids academepidemic, becomi tireless advocate. this morning, tributes are

pouring in. musician and close friends elton john said, "we have lost a hollywood giant, more importantly, we have lost an incredible human being." dead at the age of 79, elizabeth taylor is survived by her four children and ten grandchildren. a family funeral is planned for later this week, matt? >> all right. miguel almaguer in los angeles, thank you very much. >> nbc's peter alexander is also joining us with more on her life and legacy. peter, good morning to you. >> good morning to eyou guys. elizabeth taylor really embodied hollywood royalty. she'll be remembered as a larger than life hollywood star. she was celebrated for her decades on the silver screen. but also as you noted, for her personal courage off of it. in many ways, taylor is being described as the last of a breed. she travelled with those huge entourages, spent lavishly on diamonds and lived the life of an old-style hollywood star. she was one of the last of the screen goddesses from hollywood's golden age. >> one more crack, queeny, just one one and i will not only spit in your eye, but i will punch it

black and blue. >> reporter: at the height of her career in the '50s and '60s, elizabeth taylor portrayed sexy, emotionally vulnerable heroines. >> help me! now i sound insane. >> reporter: born in london to american parents, elizabeth taylor moved to los angeles just before the outbreak of world war ii. small but memorable roles in movies like "jane eyre" led to her first leading role at the age of 12. >> father, he's the loveliest thing. you should see him. he never puts a foot wrong. >> who? >> mr. eids' new horse. i'm in love with him. >> reporter: from "national velvet," she quickly matured to teen roles in movies like "a date with judy" and "little women." by 17, she was the stunning young women in "father of the

bride." a year later -- >> i'll pick you up outside the factory. >> reporter: in "a place in the sun," she showed the beginnings of the serious actress she would later become. >> i'll go on loving you for as long as i live. >> reporter: she received academy award nominations for best actress three years in a row for "rain tree county," "cat on a hot tin roof," and "suddenly last summer." >> face it! i was the slut of all times! >> reporter: she won her first oscar for "butterfield eight" in 1960" and another for "who's afraid of virginia wolff." >> floozy. >> with those successes under her belt, taylor was the first actress to be paid $1 million for her performance in "cleopatra." taylor's private life was as sensational as her movie career. >> i have had everything. i've had my share of joy, pain,

luck, rough times. >> reporter: she married eight times. hotel chain heir nicky hilton, british actor, michael wilding. producer mike todd, who was killed in a plane crash. and singer eddie fisher. while married to fisher, she met actor richard burton, whom she married and divorced twice. followed by u.s. senator john warner, and finally construction worker, larry fortenski. she suffered through near-fatal bouts of pneumonia, addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, a brain tumor, hip surgeries, as well as back and heart problems. despite everything, taylor always seemed to survive. >> either you look forward to waking up or you don't. i do. >> these have always brought me luck. >> reporter: when her acting career waned, taylor launched a successful perfume empire. when her weight ballooned, she developed her own hit and wrote a best-selling diet book. in her later years, taylor

became a tireless crusader in the fight against aids, using her fame to raise both money and awareness. >> the government is not doing enough. they should be sending billions. >> reporter: in september 2009, she appeared frail at her friend michael jackson's funeral. taylor is survived by four children and ten grandchildren. she also had four great-grandchildren. there is, as we noted, a private funeral planned for later this week and a public memorial will be announced at a later date. it's worth noting, ann, that even in death, elizabeth taylor is fighting for that cause that was so close to her heart. her family is asking that in lieu of flowers, contributions today be made to her aids foundation. matt? >> all right, peter alexander, thank you very much. former senator john warner was married to elizabeth taylor for six years. he joins us now by phone from washington, d.c. senator warner, good morning. our condolences. >> well, i thank you for that, because i speak these few words with a deep sense of humility

and respect for our friendship, which lasted right to the end. >> you were married for six years, as i mentioned, from 1976 to 1982. you know, senator, a lot of people said you were complete opposites. you were a conservative republican, she was anything but. was it a case of opposites attracting? >> well, i'm not sure just how to answer that one, but i will say she worked with me in my early days in politics, helped me lay the foundation for a 30-year career in the united states senate, for which i'm always grateful and we frequently in the years past have joked and laughed about those days together when she was a -- let me tell you, a real trooper. >> i know you did stay in touch. it's not always for couples to remain friendly after divorce. why do you think you two managed to do so? >> well, there was really no bitterness in our divorce. i became a senator and was

extremely active in the senate. she just didn't want to sit at home and wanted to return to broadway and things that she loved and she did it. and for about two years, the last two years, i traveled to be with her in various places, all throughout the country, and some overseas to join her in her openings and filmings. so we had a lovely life and at the end we just realized that we best separate in our ways, but never -- always as friends, always there. >> there's a story that goes around, senator, that i was reading, you were running for the senate in 1978, and at the republican state convention in virginia, she showed up in kind of a -- more of a hollywood-type outfit. i think it was described as a tiger-striped pantsuit. how did your constituents respond to her? >> well, i would say that she loved the state of virginia.

and as a matter of fact, my daughter, virginia, will be attending -- representing our family at the final rites in california. but she was really -- virginians liked her. and wherever we we were, she would always stop and give the autograph and shake hands. i don't remember the pantsuit. what i do remember is that i, having been secretary of the navy, bought about 1,000 sailor hats and she wore that and then she would autograph it and give it to somebody else, reach in the box, put another one on, and those hats were sailing all over a convention hall that had close to 10,000 people in the coliseum for that convention. and then, sadly, the person who fairly won the convention lost his life in an airplane crash and then the party turned towards me and elizabeth was by my side for a tough nine-week

campaign and won by a small amount and i went on to put together five terms in the united states senate. so i'm grateful to her, for her support. >> i didn't mean to interrupt you, i'm sorry. so many different aspects to her life, from hollywood to business and philanthropy. how will you remember her? >> well, i will remember her, frankly, you know, the woman in her heart and soul was every bit as beautiful as people saw in her face and her eyes. >> what a lovely sentiment. former senator john warner, senator, i know you're not feeling so well, so i really appreciate your call today. >> well, you know, you accept life, but you remember the wonderful chapters of it, and this was an exciting chapter. thank you. >> again, we thank you so much for your time. our best wishes. >> bye. >> that's very cool that he -- and that was a lovely thing he said at the end. >> i was living in washington

when that all happened and it was -- she brought such an electricity to the senate and to that race. and it was glamorous -- hollywood coming to the potomac. >> yeah, but it seems as though, and i think senator warner alluded to this, it was tough for her to be at home, a political wife. there was so much many that she wanted to do. let's get over to natalie with the rest of the day's top stories. >> good morning once again. good morning, everyone. a terrorist bomb rocked central jerusalem today, killing at least one person and wounding more than 20 others at a bus stop. israeli police blame the attacks, the first in jerusalem since 2004, on palestinian militants. nato said today it will start using warships to enforce a united nations arms embargo against libya. also today, a british commander said moammar gadhafi's air force has been destroyed. and u.s.-led coalition aircraft attacked gadhafi's ground forces, besieging the rebel-held city of misratah. officials in japan say

radiation levels in tokyo's water supply are now too high for infants and they're telling parents there to use bottled water instead. meantime, smoke coming from a damaged nuclear power plant forced the temporary evacuation of workers trying to stop radiation leaks there. the first of five u.s. soldiers accused of murdering afghan civilians last year is expected to plead guilty today. members of specialist jeremy morelock's brigade were shown posing with bodies in photos by the german paper, "der speigel." more than a half foot of snow could fall today. in iowa, homes were damaged by tornadoes and large hailstones. you are up to date right now at 13 minutes past the hour in some of your other news. now let's turn to al for a check of the forecast. >> all right. thanks a lot, natalie. as we take a lo at what's a ing on out west, again, more

storms. we've got flash flood watches for central california, of course, the ground is supersaturated, can't take anymore rain. we're looking at winter storm warnings for the sierra and parts of the northern california mountains. winter weather advisories in southern california's mountains. we could be looking at a foot to a foot and a half of snow through the mountainous passes. we're expecting anywhere from 3 to 5 inches of rain locally in some areas in central california today on into tomorrow and we've got two more storms just waiting, parked out in the pacific to make their way across the pacific northwest and california. that's what's going on around good morning to you. well, a lot of the heavy rain has subsided. we just have green situated over the bay area. those are light showers coming down. the national weather service has allowed the flash flood watch to expire because of the clearing. we're going to see a little bit more moisture push onshore as the next band moves in, and a stronger storm comes in tonight. that's going to bring about windy conditions and more rain,

potential for flooding stays with us. and that's your latest weather. >> thanks, al. when we come back, more on the life and legacy of elizabeth taylor, after this. heaven comes to earth. rich, creamy, thick dannon greek, the most delicious yogurt imaginable. heaven on earth!

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we're back with more on the death of elizabeth taylor. >> jeff kagel is the managing editor of "entertainment weekly." thanks for joining us. you got to interview her. what was that like? >> i interviewed her about five years ago. in 20 years of interviewing celebrities, i have to say, it was probably at the top of the list, because she was very frail at that time. but the violet eyes just still sparkly. she came down, she was in a wheelchair, but she had jose ebert do her hair, just for the interview. she was doing the krupp diamond, the 34 carat monstrosity, never seen without it. it was like talking to your grandmother, if your grandmother

has a fragrance empire. and there were pictures on the wall just tacked up, but the pictures were like monet, just priceless paintings. but all of that smoke to this extraordinary life and wealth and how interesting she was, but also how salty and down to earth and unpretentious at the same time. she was a really fascinating character to me. >> one thing she also proved to be was a true friend to so many people. even at times in the michael jackson story, when michael jackson couldn't seem to -- didn't seem to have a friend left, she stood by his side. and at last time she was really publicly seen was at her funeral. what does that say about the kind of person that she was? >> she never cared what people thought of her. so regardless of what people would think, she would go out on a limb for her friends. she went out on a limb for michael jackson. she understood michael jackson. he was a child star who -- >> so was she. >> -- had been driven. she was a child star who had been probably terrorized by these studio executives back in

the '40s. she really understood him. she also was very loyal to people like rock hudson. and that was probably one of the main reasons she came out as an activist, fighting the good fight against aids at a time when nobody else was doing it. >> do you think -- i mean, is there anybody left that has that kind of star wattage? that actually fits the title "legend"? >> i don't think that -- certainly no stars today will ever reach the kind of pinnacle that she did, because the audiences now are so fractured. there's so many things besides the movies and besides movie stars that take up our attention. she was on everybody's lips all the time, especially during the 50s and 60s. i don't know that we're ever going to see anybody quite like her. it's a very different world now. >> that's for sure. jeff kagel, thank you so much. >> so great to have you. thank you. >> thank. >> and we'll be back on more with elizabeth taylor coming up after these messages.

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good morning to you. well, we set our are dar back six hours. you can see the bulk of the heavy moisture has pushed off to the east. and starting to push down to the south in southern california. we are in store for a little bit of a break. you can see the light scattered showers continue to push through berkeley and oakland. we'll get a little bit of a break before the next bhand moves in. the next band will not be as strong. we have another strong storm that's going to move into the bay area as we head through tonight. windy conditions as we head through this evening. then the storm arrives, dumping more rain over the bay area just in time for tomorrow morning's drive.

55 degrees in fremont for today. and 55 degrees with gilroy. showers are going to continue to subside as we head throughout the new york stock exchange couple of hours. we could see strong thunderstorms develop, so keep your eye to the sky. let's check with mike on your drive this morning. >> all right, you've had a rough morning. commute is an issue, getting to the bay bridge toll plaza. you can see once you get there, the traffic volume is relatively light. very slick conditions for drivers because of the rain. south of there, 880 coming up through oakland, still very tough south of san leandro. misty conditions continue along the east bay. the south bay is especially slow. the peninsula jammed up around san mateo. that's typical of there.

a foreclosed church in the east bay may soon get a second

chance. congressman george miller has joined the fight to save the bibleway church. he, along with his wife and mother were arrested last week for refusing to leave the property. the press has caught the attention of the lender, and promised to work with the church to try to resolve that issue. we'll have another local news update for you in about half an hour or so. "today" show back in a couple of minutes. have a great wednesday morning.

and we have some sad news to report this morning. the hollywood legendary elizabeth taylor has died of congestive heart failure after being hospitalized for about six weeks. a wonderful actress and also an amazing champion for awareness about hiv/aids. >> a very important person who's now left us. >> that's right. we have been talking just about how much she affected people when it came to her career and her dedication to those humanitarian causes. we have peter castor, the managing editor of "people" magazine joining us on the phone

now. peter, i can't think of a bigger star and perhaps a bigger loss in hollywood today. would you agree? >> i would absolutely agree with that. it's almost cliche to say she was a cultural touchstone like elvis and marilyn and sinatra, but she was. i can't think of anyone else that falls into that category. her friend carol sayer said she's the closest thing this country had to royalty. >> peter, in 1985 she joined with dr. ma tilda creme to form amfar. that will be as big a part of her legacy as we go forward. >> you know, al, she didn't have to do that. she was already an established star. she already had an enormous amount of respect and adoration and love.

jeff was on and said it was an act of bravery and that was what it was. it can't be described as anything else. she lit the spark in this country for awareness. she gave it credibility, awareness and made americans think for the first time that, wait, this is something that's much bigger and does affect us all despite our sexual orientation. >> we should probably remind people what that time was like. she basically came out and said these things at a time when people actually said publically that aids was god's wrath on people and when people were afraid to touch people who had hiv/aids. so when she came out and said this and she helped support the founding of amfar, an important organization that's funded research, she really changed our culture. >> you know, ann, i think you're absolutely right. let's not forget this is a woman

who, for better or worse, was never afraid to shock people. i mean, she had her scandalous moments and shocked the country when she took up with eddie fisher, but she was used to taking on the public and used to taking on controversy. in this case, very much unlike the romantic scandal she had in her past, in this case this was a controversy she was ready to take on. she had her gloves on and was ready to go. we are all grateful for that. >> peter, natalie here. we also know she was such -- speaking of somebody who always stood in front of an important cause and who really believed and stood by her friends, here was somebody who to his death stayed right by michael jackson to the very end given all that he went through as well. talk about that a little bit as well, the fact that she was such a loyal friend to him. >> again, echoing what i said a

little while ago, she was never afraid to take on controversy. you know, she adored her public but was never guided by public opinion. that was a case in point where a lot of people thought you should really distance yourself from this guy. but she was not like that. she was about loyalty. unfortunately, you know, in many of her marriages she encountered disloyalty. i don't mean to play amateur psychologist, but maybe her sense of loyalty came from the many marriages and the disloyalty she encountered in those. >> you know, peter, one of her quotes was, you find out who your real friends are when you're involved in a scandal. she obviously lived through those kinds of things and knew what it was like to go through it which is why she was probably such a loyal friend. >> absolutely. in all of this, we talk about scandal and everything. let's not forget how much grace she had, too. i think there was a low point in

her life during her marriage with john warner where he wasn't around a lot. he spent time in the senate and she said, i became my only eating companion and she gained a lot of weight. this was really a low point in her life. but she always met any kind of challenge with the utmost grace. >> i'm reading notes from our researchers. i didn't know she was a dame of the british empire. >> dame elizabeth. >> also earned the french legion of honor and received humanitarian awards, of course, for her work. she's quoted as having said, i have dedicated my efforts above all to the thousands of men, women and children throughout the world who have died of aids or are currently fighting for their lives. then she also later on said, celebrity is not something that comes without responsibility. >> beautifully said. >> it's a beautiful statement. don't forget she spent her first

seven years of life in england. she grew up there, came here and became a hollywood star. she always had an attachment to england. her best friend roddy mcdowel is english. it was dear to her heart. the causes were very important to her. i'm so glad part of the conversation today beyond the looks, talent and the oscars is focused so much on her embracing aids and trying to, you know, eradicate it from this culture. >> i bet she would be proud of that as well. peter, one thing i have been curious about with elizabeth taylor, it's revealed in her work and it seems also for those who met her, they talked about this as well. she was also an incredibly -- she seemed anyway, kind of tender, vulnerable. i was using the word earlier --

from fragile. do we have a history to explain the dichotomy? her courage in stepping up and speaking out for those who have hiv/aids and yet at the same time this kind of vulnerability she had which revealed itself in so many ways. >> that's an excellent question, ann. she didn't have the greatest relationship with her father especially. and, you know, when she was 18 she married nicky hilton, paris hilton's great uncle. he was abusive to her. apparently had a physical altercation that led to a miscarriage. she was really used to pain at a very early age. i think that made her vulnerable. we are preparing a 15-page obit package on her and there is one quote that comes out of this that's so haunting. it says, you know, i have been lucky all my life. everything was handed to me,

looks, fame, honors, love. this is in 1992 in "life" but she said, i have paid for that with terrible illness, destructive addictions, broken marriages. to your point she was vulnerable but had great reason to be. >> we talk about her being married eight times. two of those times were to the person she describes as the love of her life, richard burton. talk about that relationship if you could. >> well, you know, if i could be a fly on the wall for some of the days during those marriages. i mean, you're right. he was the love of her life. boy, did they fight. and they broke up and got back together. you know, she said something that was something only she could say. she said, you know, i wonder -- after he died -- i wonder if we just loved each other too much. it's an extraordinary statement. but he was the love of her life. you know, when they met on the

set of "cleopatra" sparks were flying left and right. we shouldn't forget mike todd. he was the second love of her life. 25 years her senior. i think he was 49 or 50 and she was just 25 when they married. she absolutely adored him. they were married only a little over a year and he tragically died in a plane crash. after richard burton i would say he was right up there. >> in fact, ironically the name of the plane he died in was called "the lucky liz." >> wow. >> there are a lot of ironies in her case. well, gosh. thank you so much peter castro from "people" magazine. you have been able to give us a lot of great perspective. >> thank you very much. >> we'll have much more on elizabeth taylor throughout the rest of the morning as well. now a check of the weather for us, al. >> here in northeast we have snow, rain, risk of strong storms in the upper ohio river

valley. could be isolated tornadoes. our friends out west have been dealing with a lot of heavy rain. they will get more today and probably flash flooding as well. tomorrow the heavy rain continues along the west coast. the ground is super saturated already. eastern half of the country looking decent. a few leftover snowshowers in the northeast. sunny and warm gulf coast to texas with heat. we have showers through the northern rockies. well, we are seeing a good deal of clearing. but our next focus is the possibility of some strong thunderstorms developing and rolling onshore as we head throughout the afternoon. we're going to continue to watch this for you. wherever you're headed, you're likely to find ponding and dangerous driving conditions in the next hour or two. then we'll get a little bit of a break before the next band of rain comes through later this afternoon and our next storm system arrives tonight. windy conditions first, then a lot more rain as we head through tomorrow morning. and that's your latest weather. >> thank you, al. much more on the reaction to the

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you are so sweet to me. bee happy. bee healthy. you are so sweet to me. [bell tolls] - to best serve your customers, you have to know them. personally. only a local agent can do that. [click, motor hums] - doug pierce. lives in tornado alley. - hobby? - collects stamps. - excellent. - annette thompson. small business owner. hates cantaloupe. - good. - the lee family: twins. with another on the way. - mazel tov. - that's meatloaf. - hmm. [click] that's still meatloaf. - very good. moving on. - we are insurance. - ♪ we are farmers ♪ bum di bum bum bum bum bum ♪ fans in the entertainment industry are mourning the death of elizabeth taylor who died this morning in los angeles at the age of 79 years old. >> she was surrounded by friends and family. her son michael wilding summed up her extraordinary life in a statement. he writes, her legacy will never

fade. her spirit will always be with us and her love will live forever in our hearts. courtney hazel is a pop culture correspondent for today.com. we were talking about how she really across the board, across so many generations was a star of a lifetime really. >> she was. >> started at 12 years old in the industry. >> i think, you know, we spend so much today trying to figure out celebrity and why we care and why we like to look up to movie stars. i think elizabeth taylor represents one of the last of the old guard where you could become a child star and live the american dream. so many little girls grew up thinking, i will be an actress, have a husband -- or in her case husbands -- i will have jewels, live a fabulous life. that's what elizabeth taylor did. she was able to weather so many scandals so elegantly. one of the things i'm happy to see today as media outlets remember her and looking an twitter and the internet, i'm

happy that despite the scandal people are remembering her for her work and her charity work. there are few celebrities who have really made such an impact like elizabeth taylor has. >> you mentioned intergenerational. this is a woman on twitter. >> she has more than 300,000 twitter followers. in 2009 she had surgery to repair a leaking heart valve. after the surgery she was tweeting to fans saying, listen, i'm okay. when i was calling to check with her publicist he said sh listen, if dame elizabeth has something to say, she'll say it on twitter and hung up on me. she was a savvy woman. she got it. she understood the business she was in. she understood the risks as well. >> we were talking about one of the last times she was seen publically was at the funeral of michael jackson. really since then her health took a turn. we know she had congestive heart failure, but it sounds like from the statement released by her family they thought she was getting better, at least her condition had stabilized.

she was in the hospital. >> the most recent round of fear for her health took place in february when she was meant to be honored at the amfar dinner and she was unable to go. people said, is her health declining? and there was worry. her publicist said, no, she's fine. it was a picture of her leaving the dentist's office in a wheelchair. but there were greater problems. she's had both hips replaced, skin cancer, life-threatening bouts of pneumonia, a brain tumor. >> she's been resilient. sadly the world lost perhaps its greatest star and legend in hollywood today. how is the hollywood community reacting? i imagine there is an outpouring of love. >> an absolute outpouring of love. when hollywood loses one of its own it causes everyone in hollywood to be introspective. if you're a big celebrity you're seeing in some ways your obituary as well and seeing it

play out. in hollywood you can have a false sense of being invincible. that's what we accuse young stars of having that problem. when you see someone so iconic who incited so much passion pass away, it's difficult to watch. >> courtney, thank you as always. >> we'll be back with more on the life of elizabeth taylor and photos of her 79th birthday after these messages. heaven comes to earth. rich, creamy, thick dannon greek,

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i found something we talk a lot about elizabeth taylor. also her spirituality. she said, i believe in a higher power. i believe in one god. i'm so glad i asked for help. she said you need to also give up yourself. >> she's remarkable. elizabeth taylor as we remember the legend she is and was. we have a picture from her 79th birthday. this was just a couple of months ago before her health took a turn for the worse. as we learned today she passed away at 79 surrounded by her family, her children, her grandchildren and sadly the world has lost a legend who has given us all so much. >> we'll be back with more on the death of a legend. first this is "today" on nbc.

as we look at that beautiful picture of elizabeth taylor in her starring role as cleopatra we are thinking of the legend we lost today. also for her humanitarian causes. >> we have much more ahead after yoocals wehe

good morning, everyone. nasty bar fight in san francisco. slims nightclub going

head-to-head with a neighbor. the alcohol permit was suspended for ten days last week. apparently because of a noise complaint. now, in response, the club's owner posted a sign, naming the neighbor and giving out her address. the sign says she is the sole reason for the alcohol suspension. the neighbor has apparently been complaining about noise since 2007. now, we asked, but neither the bar owner nor the neighbor wanted to comment on the situation. the certain is on this morning for a person who shot and killed two men and a dog in oakland. it happened on harman street near ellis last night around 8:00. the police say the shots were fired from across the street. no suspect description is available. a little bit of a break from the weather but more is on the way. good morning, christina. >> good morning, scott. yeah, we've got more on the way. but you're right on, we're going to get a bit of a break, especially on the peninsula. san francisco through mountainview, you have just mostly cloudy skies right now. now, thunderstorms are

definitely possible as we head throughout this afternoon. as you can see from your radar picture, most of the heaviest rain have cleared the bay area. a cell just pushed to the east of concord. that could make for some pretty dangerous conditions along 680. 54 degrees in san jose. 56 degrees today in oakland. 54 in las gatos. 59 degrees is the forecast high for thursday. let's check that drive right now with mike. >> the south bay we have continuing slowdowns after the early-morning, very tough commute. jammed up off of 85. accident at hamilton. a couple of other accidents northbound 101. add to the slowing past the airport. a slower drive for the south bay. it's got a problem for 680. off of the area we had pretty heavy winds. more local news in a half an hour.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. hey, everybody. it's wineday, wedneay, march 23rd. so glad you're here with us today. a little sadness coming from the west coast. >> it was one of those things that when i actually read it comes across my blackberry, it said 79-year-old elizabeth taylor died, it was one of those things where you have to stop and also remember where you were. it was one of those moment ts for me.

she transformed so many different generations and touched to many people in so many different ways. >> she was truly iconic. her off the camera was every bit as fascinating as her great work on screen was. she went through a lot of trouble in her life and also did a lot of good. mellowed a great deal from what i understand in the last ten or so years of her life, much due -- due to her illnesses but also great friendships that she had. >> her illness, by the way, she died of, they said today, of congestive heart failure. >> she'd been in the hospital for almost two months out at cedar sinai. it's a sad passing. what a legacy she leaves. >> you think of all the movies. when i think of elizabeth taylor i also think of aids activism. she was one of those people who before it was -- i hate to say hip, but before it was okay to support that cause, she was there first. >> she was right there in the beginning.

she counted that apparently as one of the greatest success stories of her life. not that aids has been conquered. but that it was certainly a great beginning of looking for the cure. i only met her a couple of times. each time was -- you're aware when you're with her, oh, my gosh. i am standing next to elizabeth taylor. >> right. >> you know? and she was -- the last time i remember being with her, we were huddled all together in a green room at some event, you know. i think it was for the fifi foundation. or fragrance. remember how much perfume she sold and everything? >> oh, yeah. >> i don't know why i was there. frank and i were there. they were bringing in people to have their picture taken from front of the paparazzi two by two and three by three so it wasn't just a ton of people. it ended up being frank and me and elizabeth taylor alone. standing there in front of the throngs of paparazzi. they truly were not the least bit interested in taking frank's and my picture. i didn't know what to say.

what do you say to elizabeth taylor? so i leaned over trying to make chitchat. like an idiot, i said, you know, my husband hates these things almost as much as you do she was very cute. she looked at me and she goes, i doubt that. in other words, honey, i don't think anybody hates it as much as i do. anyway, another time i subbed for somebody last minute at an -- down at the world trade center. it was a last-minute thing. i think it was -- at the last minute we got up. there was a problem on stage. we got up and went and tried to entertain the audience. next day i think i got a bouquet this big from elizabeth taylor. thank you so much. gracious and classy. i can't imagine what it would have been like to have been like a great friend of hers and known all the ins and outs of -- what a life. >> she is a great friend. michael jackson. when she loved you, you could tell.

she was with you, especially in the friendship department. >> that says everything about a person, doesn't it? i don't think it was blind support of somebody. i think she was probably very, very aware of what the real issues were. >> yeah. i agree. >> nonetheless, she knew that that's what a friend does. >> stands by you. >> yes. when i'm on my way to prison or rehab or something, hoda, i want you to be that kind of a friend to me. >> devoted. devoted. >> it almost seems bizarre today for us to move on to other celebrity news, because there's no celebrity in her class, i don't think. maybe the people that are on the cover of "people" magazine. but should we bring that up first? >> brad and angelina -- >> knock on the cover of people magazine. >> when you look at them, it's amazing. hello. >> i don't think we're so crazy. >> it's the drinking. i'm sure that has something to

do with it. >> it's the suggestion of drinking, hoda. it sits here but rarely gets -- well, once in a while. >> that's the truth. we do have a little wine on the table today. >> yeah. >> we have a little. >> they did a really beautiful job. >> charlotte trigs wrote the article. the picture taken by brian adoban. >> i had my doubts about all three of them. i don't like to have my picture taken. i like to be live. you got to be performing. you know what i'm saying? it was a joy that day on that set. >> it was. >> we had fun. >> we had our track suits on, drinks and food. >> you had your chocolate. i had whatever i had. >> exactly. chris brown is back in the news. >> i thought the anger management thing was under control. >> he did an interview with robin roberts on gma. she asked him obviously the kind of question you're going to be asked about. >> every journalist has to ask the question. >> yeah, what's the story with

you and rihanna. i don't know if you can hear his answer. >> i mean, it's not really a big deal to me now as far as that situation. i think i'm past that in my life. today is the album. that's what i'm focused on. everybody go get that album. >> that is something we are here to talk about. thank you very much. >> he wasn't prepared for that. >> after this interview, which i thought was fine. >> i thought he got off very easily. >> he goes to his dressing room according to what some of the reports say. he bashed in a window with a chair. >> a lot of screaming. >> he ripped his shirt off. >> rock stars always do that. >> then watched outside. the question was, was he going to get charged with something else. >> a window was broken. glass fell below. i don't even know what story it was on. >> i'm not sure. gma -- or abc did not file a police report. >> they might. they might still. he's under probation already for what happened i think two years ago. >> right. >> it was 2009, the assault during the grammys. so just about two years ago. >> he did plead guilty. >> he has five years of

probation. pled guilty. didn't do time, though. >> no. >> here's the thing. he's only two years into his probation and another -- didn't he undergo anger management classes? >> i think if you're angry, sometimes you're angry. listen to his tweet. this is what he tweeted. i'm so over people bringing this past up. yet we praise charlie sheen and other celebs for their bull beep. he may have a point. >> i think he does have a point. that's about what we do. it's not about what he did. >> right. >> the public somehow responds the way the public does. but he feels responsible for his own behavior. and if he thinks that he's going to have a career and we wish him all the best, of course, but if he thinks he's going to be able to go publicly through life with his projects and not be asked over and over and over again about it, because celebrity years, this is not a long time since this happened. >> sure. absolutely. >> you're going to be asked about it every single time. >> right, right. well, jay leno had some fun with chris brown.

because why not make a joke about it? >> that's what he does. >> let's take a listen to his joke. >> what happened with chris brown this morning? you hear about this? you guys hear about this? smashing a window? i don't know what this was. chris brown smashed a window in a dressing room at "good morning america" today. usually when something's smashed on morning tv it's kathie lee and hoda. >> hilarious. >> just hysterical, jay. >> here's the latest on pretty people. all right? pretty people, according to this research, want their date to always pick up the check. they expect it. >> i'm not great looking, but i want it, too. >> they believe that the guy is lucky to be with them so he should be picking up the tab. >> what does that say about unattractive women? that they're just grateful that anybody's out there with them eating something? come on. what does this mean when you -- when you see it through? >> i think that -- i think that the guy should pick up no matter what. but i do see women who do feel

like, look, let me take care of this one. i get upset when the guy says okay. >> doesn't even put up a fight. >> i'm against that. >> i'd like to think i don't have double standards. i got to admit, i have a double standard about that. i'm not going to be interested in a man that doesn't make an attempt to -- i know this sounds terrible. >> say it. >> be the man. you know what i'm saying? now, if he's -- if you've just started dating, the guy doesn't have a job, i wouldn't have started dating -- i wasn't raised that way. my daddy used to say to me, honey, learn a skill so you don't have to marry the first jerk who comes along. because he knew that that's a potential, you know, disaster waiting to happen. >> we took an online poll. 74% agree with you, say that the guy should pay the tab. that's the way it should be. and i -- i agree with that. i do think it does get a little sticky sometimes. you kind of get into a relationship a little bit. >> yes. here's the thing. if the guy can't financially --

the other thing my father said to me, which is true. everything he said was true. if you don't have the money to pay for something, you can't afford it. that's the problem in our country now. we think we can just afford everything and pay later. we can't. the bills come due. i think there's tons of incredibly wondrous ways to impress a woman and take care of a woman and court a woman by using your imagination. get a beautiful -- get a blanket. get a bottle of wine. >> i agree. >> go to the park. you know, let her know you care about her. you don't have to wine and dine -- well, you do have to wine and dine -- but it doesn't have to be expensive wine. >> you're right. >> don't try to impress her that way. impress her with your character. >> i do have to say the most enjoyable times i've had on dates or something never really involved going on a pricey -- or crazy trip, it usually just involved being in the right moment at the right time enjoying yourselves.

we do have a little wine. why wouldn't we? it's springtime. it's snowing today in new york all over the place. >> that doesn't matter. we are cozy here in our studio. we have each other. you've got a five-page spread in "people" magazine. and you're about to drink lilac wine. >> lilac wine. >> i have my doubts. >> mapleriverwinery.com. >> it smells more like a port. >> it does taste like lilacs. >> it does. and i like lilacs, but -- we just wish them all the best, too, at their winery. yes, we do. up next -- >> does less sex in your marriage mean that you are in for trouble? >> no. it just means that you git more sleep. later, "dancing with the stars" and three time indianapolis 500 winner, say his name! [ female announcer ] when allergies make your eyes itch,

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all right. get this. you lit a fire. you download it. you pour his favorite wine. your guy is still not in the mood. >> enough with the joking. a new survey says more than half of married couples wish they had a little more action between the sheets. is your marriage doomed if your sex life is struggling? >> welcome, welcome, experts on the subject of sex. i missed my calls. i really should have done that. anyway. >> these numbers were shocking to us. i mean, basically what it says, of the 2,600 people that you guys surveyed, more than half say they don't have a good sex life and more than 75% don't even have kids. why aren't these people having sex? >> these are young people. the reality is that we find that couples really just aren't

focusing on it. they think it's going to be automatic. i'm married. i'm a newlywed. there we go. it's not the reality. they're all having troubles. >> you'd be surprised in my practice how many couples in their 20s and 30s are stuck in ruts. i will say the transition to being married is not necessarily hot and heavy. there are a lot of stresses for new couples that they haven't learned to face that actually as you go through a relationship and as you get older, you kind of figure it out. actually empty nesters have way better sex lives very often than newlyweds, surprisingly. >> it sounds like if they don't have children and they're still that young, they're probably totally focused on career. >> they are. >> that's one of the things. they're very stressed out. couples are working harder than ever right now. >> they're on machines constantly. >> you know, in the survey was revealed that a lot of women would like more sex and would like to initiate more sex. i found across the board that low male desire, especially for the younger guys who are still building their careers, who are worried about maybe having kids,

worried about how they're going to support -- >> is it that kind of thing or is it that they're sitting on the couch playing video games and doing -- you know. >> there is a lot of digital distractions out there. and couples collapse into bed late at night. they don't have the energy. they haven't prioritized intimacy. but i think the problem also is the stress of being married. especially for the guys. >> and everybody's feeling a financial crunch right now. but usually when you can't afford to do anything, you do the one thing that's kind of free. know what i'm saying? >> and they're not doing that. >> we're finding very simply that one of the problems is that people are not putting the effort in. >> if you're unhappy that early in a relationship -- >> that's usually what happens later. >> it's completely not true. one of the things is, the survey found that 42% of the women are saying i'm getting absolutely no foreplay. now that i'm married, it's gone. i can't just turn it on

instantly. that is the biggest turnoff. everybody needs to put themselves in the mood, put a little more effort into it. >> i tell guys a little choreplay before the foreplay. a lot of women actually say they would be more interested in sex if they weren't coming home to a second job of having to clean up the house and do -- >> oh, that kind of choreplay. we misunderstood that. we thought, all right, make her happy. >> that's one of the big problems. >> no. really pitching in. >> we talked many times about the fact that's a turn on to women, to see their guys do those dishes, baby. pick up that garbage and let us watch you walk it out the door. >> you were saying when they're having sex they do the exact same thing every single time over and over and over. gets dull. >> 30% of couples aren't even interested or haven't even thought of mixing it up at all. 60% of them only doing it sometimes. you kind of get the drill. you've been married a couple years. i get it, boobs, butt.

>> just like there are food groups, i like to think there are different kinds of types of sex. there is sex that's really intimate and emotional. there's sex that feeds the senses. there's sex that feeds the imagination. the point is that a lot of couples really are just kind of doing the same thing over and over again. >> what if you're embarrassed or you just think -- how do you do it? how do you tell someone? >> you know, like, toys, fantasies, talking about it. just talking. sending, like, little sexy text messages during the day. getting people kind of -- just getting everyone, like, oh, my gosh. we have to focus on this. we're going to spend some time. don't let yourself go. so many couples, too, 35% is because they're putting on the ponytail and pjs. oh, was i supposed to shave? >> and the men, same thing. >> exactly. >> thanks, you guys. up next -- >> the things that make you say

"what?" and the dishes to plan a grown-th wi nupght with your bff. and "who knew?" but first we're going to play these messages. >> there he is. helio! to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, trouble concentrating, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] if depression is taking so much out of you, ask your doctor about pristiq. pristiq is a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain -- serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nset pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life threatening condition.

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it is time for "what the what?" those images you get that made you say "what the what?" >> every week ms. sara sorts through the countless photos you send to us. what you got? >> one from ralston, nebraska. i wonder where the milk comes from? straight from the cows. it's in the eggs. she took the photo at her local store, much to her husband's chagrin. next in, a picture called grilled crap. >> oh, my gosh! >> sent in from columbia, missouri. my family and i went to mecca in summer 2010. we ate at a very expense i have restaurant. >> what's crap? >> they don't know. that's all it said. the family is still laughing about that. i think it looks delicious.

>> the next one in from fredericksburg, virginia. if you read that. while vacationing at myrtle beach my best friend and i were shopping at a local minimal when we saw this sign in the entrance. yes, it was not open at the time. next from brook hahaven, pennsylvania. ex-husband sale. wonder how much he's going through? creative ideas that are finally going to get you to get your girlfriends together. and "who knew?" thre g a race g car driver named -- >> helio. >> and a dancing champ. >> after your local news. [ female announcer ] we're made to mix...

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well, good morning, everyone. it's 10:26. fears of another rock slide in scots valley this morning. the incredible slide happened on monday. you can see the trees and rocks come tumbling down. santa cruz county said this could be weeks before this road is cleared. the expected rainfall could cause the hill to slide even more. >> it can make it worse, definitely. so we're going to have to keep an eye on this situation. and it might delay our start of fixing the site. >> now, engineers are expected

back at the site today. in fact, they're already there, trying to figure out how to clean it up. for nous neighbors are using a side road to get to and from their homes. tims. is 10:26, almost 10:2. weather and traffic right after this. [ male announcer ] if you're ready for more from your tv service, get at&t u-verse today. at&t u-verse tv. make the switch! [ female announcer ] call at&t now to get u-verse tv starting at just $29 a month for six months -- hd-ready dvr included. or get up to $300 in a promotion card with a qualifying u-verse bundle. [ male announcer ] u-verse tv lets you record up to four shows at once on a single dvr. and you can record and play back your shows from any room. [ female announcer ] call at&t now to get your u-verse tv starting at just $29 a month for six months -- hd-ready dvr included

at no extra charge. or get up to $300 in a promotion card with a qualifying u-verse bundle. [ male announcer ] with u-verse tv, you can even upgrade to over 155 hd channels. that's more than cable. maybe that's why u-verse tv is ranked "highest in residential television service satisfaction in the west" by j.d. power and associates three years in a row. [ female announcer ] at&t u-verse: tv like you've never seen before. good morning to you. well, a lot of moisture is pushing to the east. the heavy cells are still coming down, though, in places like san jose, between san jose and morgan hill, you're going to find dangerous driving

conditions for the next 10 to 15 minutes with some pretty heavy rain coming down. but for the most part the heavy rain is starting to push into southern california. we have another one right on its heels. a lot of instability in our atmosphere. the possibility for afternoon thunderstorms to form. actually pretty likely for today. if you want to keep your eye to the sky, make sure that you're watching the weather update. 56 degrees in oakland. and 54 degrees in redwood city. another system rolls in as we head through tonight. windy conditions will pick up first, and then a lot of rain as we head into tomorrow morning. let's check your drive right now. >> you saw through this morning's commute, like you said, tomorrow will be tough as well. thinning out to the bay bridge toll plaza. the toll plaza itself still has the metering lights on. pretty heavy over this 10:00 hour. this is a little extra heavy. that could be because of the folks held up in the heavier rain are now making it to the

toll plaza. wind advisory for the south bay sticking around. thank you for joining us. and the "today" show continues coming up next. we're back on this winesday with our weekly "who knew?" trivia game. today we're going to test your knowledge about indy car racing. kathie lee is across the street at the nbc experience store. she's ready to hand out 100 bucks to who he has who get the answer right. to those who don't, they get kathie lee's cd. hel helio castroneves! look at you. i know you in your dancing shoes. now here you are. >> not dancing shoes. it's racing shoes. >> we're so excited.

let's see how smart our folks are across the street. let's go to kath. >> we've got ladies from indiana right here! and one of them celebrating her 50th birthday. let's get you $100, shall we? what is the average speed of an indy car? 100 miles per hour, 150, 220 or 500 miles per hour, birthday girl? >> 220. >> birthday girl got it! >> wow. >> and she's going to get my cd, because it's her birthday. >> isn't that sweet of you. another gift. 220. that's the average, huh? >> that's correct. in fact, this year it's going to be the 101st year of indianapolis 500. hopefully i can go a little bit more than that so it can go faster, get the poll position and win the race. >> you had a wreck. how fast were you going? >> in those days we had a lot of power. we have restrictions now. it was about 207 when i crashed. it's part of the job. >> you came back okay.

>> i came back a month later. >> back to kath. >> some kids from iowa. out of school, i guess. spring break? all righty. what traditional beverage does the indy 500 winner drink after they win the race. milk, beer, champagne or gatorade. >> milk. >> wow! okay. milk. so many people are keyed into this. tell us about why milk? >> it's interesting. a long time ago, actually, one of the drivers was so thirsty, he actually asked for buttermilk. yes. believe it or not. after 500 miles. and, again, the tradition kept for a long time. believe it or not, when you finish the race, you're so happy and thirsty that -- >> you'll drink anything. >> whatever it is, just come over. >> all right, helio. let's go back across to kath. >> look at these darling girls. guess where they're from. manhattan, kansas. all right, little apple. during a pit stop how many seconds does it take to change all four tires and refuel.

under 10, 15, 25 or 45. >> under 10. >> wow! >> oh, my god. it's like a sorority. >> you get $10 each if you split it. >> wait. just so i'm clear, under ten seconds? >> that's right. it's amazing. about eight seconds they can change tires and put fuel in the car. so it's very fast and here we go. those are my boys there. >> look at you. are you in there? >> that's right. that was me. >> you look good. >> thank you. >> back across to kath. >> these ladies from iowa. >> go, hawkeyes! >> who was the first woman to win an indy car race? sarah fisher, janet guthrie, danica patrick or none of the above? it's an hour show. >> oh, good. >> that didn't seem to help. got to guess or you're going to lose. >> danica patrick. >> yes. >> whoa! firstover a of all, can i just e

thing? they're sweeping. they're getting everything right. >> going to get all the money here. >> danica patrick has become the face of women's racing. >> and guess who was second? me. >> did you hate being beaten by a girl? >> what can i say? she did a good job. >> back across to kath. >> these folks are from the city of brotherly love, philadelphia. let's show them some love. what is the famous phrase that is said at the start of every race. >> gentlemen, start your engi s engines. although lately, it's gentlemen and ladies, start your engines. >> i cannot believe how every single person is nailing this. ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. >> can't wait for this weekend. it's going to be our first opening season in st. pete. so we're really looking for those words. it will be a fun one. >> helio, thank you so much. we really, really appreciate. again, the i zod indy car series kicks off its season on versus with the indy grand prix on

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we all know that shopping for the products that can do the tricks can sometimes be overwhelming. >> luckily "ladies home journal" has done the work for us. the best beauty products that work for every budget. erica metzger is the magazine's

beauty director. >> this stuff works. that's what these awards are all about. tried and true products. >> let's start with the lips. >> we love this timid lip balm from burt's bees. it's a hydrating limb balm. everybody wants that. that has a little bit of color in it. if you don't have your lipstick or lip gloss, you're all set. you don't need a mirror to apply it. this is red dahlia. it goes on really natural. it's $7. a really great value. >> i've heard of this nard's brand. this blush, they say everybody can wear this particular color. >> that's why it's our big winner in the blush category. powder is super fine. but the shade is what's cool about it. >> what's it called? >> orgasm. >> you will not forget it. >> something about a pregnant woman saying the word. it's just weird. >> $27. going to last you a long time.

this color got rave reviews across the board. >> i wouldn't pick that. it would be way too dark on me, i would think. >> no. >> don't let the color dissuade you. >> it's very fine. if you blend. >> mascara from the drugstore. the best mascaras are from the drugstore. >> this is from cover girl. lash blast fusion. $7. does everything you want for your lashes. >> i like that applicator. >> it won't smudge or run down your face later in the day. which is really important. >> for the brows? >> we love this -- >> usually people don't pay attention to their brows. >> it's so true. this is great from mabelline. you twist up the pencil. you never have to sharpen it. use the comb to brush up your brows. >> eye cream.

>> big one. >> this has a lot of french words on it. all you need to know, it's going to depuff your bags. not your bags. >> she looked right at me. >> it's going to lighten, work on wrinkles. $38 from cvs. very accessible. this product is going to last you a long time. >> regular lotions here? >> this is a cleanser. >> oh, cleanser. >> a lot of people go wrong in the cleanser category. they try to strip their skin and leave it dry and squeaky. this one is going to add moisture back and it's $11.50. . this is a great daily cream from their positively ageless line. this is for your face. it has sunscreen. spf 30. a mushroom extract that helps fight collagen breakdown. helps with anti-ageing, too. >> it smells so clean. i love that. >> this is your night cream. the most scientific proof that it fights fine lines. >> i figure the more i put on. >> moisturizing.

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♪ feed your fiesta. "today's" woman is brought to you by benadryl allergy. it works when you need it most. benadryl. use only as directed. we're back with "today's" woman and some great alternatives to a girlfriend getaway. >> getting your friends for a gettogether over the weekend is

harder than getting your kids to clean up after themselves. a night in is a whole different story. with a little planning, good food and great drinks you're going to have as much fun as your high school slumber party days. >> wow. >> yvette rios is here. >> let's get started. >> what's going on? >> this is a grown-up slurpy. the frozen raspberry margarita. we're doing a movie night. chick flick night at home. >> there's a lot going on in there. >> so make some popcorn. here i've got two different kinds. a kettle corn that's a little sweet. >> that's delicious. >> a spicy popcorn. have your girlfriends pick out movies they love. ask them each for five of their recommendations and decide from there. "thelma and louise." "sleepless in seattle". >> "the way we were." that would be so much fun. >> have slippers and tell them

to come in their pajamas and sleep over. >> have some movie candies. you can get these at any store right now. this is so cool. you can make a bowl out of a roll of tickets. >> hoda can't. >> it's so easy. >> don't get in with her. okay? >> during intermission, have a little game. like i would have all my girlfriends right down a couple facts about them. then draw one. you have to guess. you can make it a drinking game. it's always fun. >> of course it is. speaking of that -- >> the idea here is to do a brunch swap meet. so you have all your girlfriends bring in stuff they don't wear anymore. you can have sweaters, shoes, dresses. have little tags. have them make little tags like this one. i'm too chunky to wear that one. i wrote that one. a few for you. don't tell frank i'm regifting. >> that's cute. >> i like "this fit me in high school." >> have everybody bring a couple

bags of stuff. maybe have some little bags for them to take stuff home with them. easy food like fertadas, bloody marys. >> i got kissed in this dress. >> isn't that cute? this one makes me look fat, so i'm trying to get rid of it. >> if you've got one that doesn't have a sense of humor, get rid of her. >> dump her. >> defriend her. >> that's severe. okay. another idea is have a little craft night in. these are strawberry sangrias. delicious. literally white wine, strawberries, and you're good to go. >> isn't that pretty, though? even if there's nothing alcoholic in it? >> different little craft ideas. like you can have them do beaded

necklaces or even paint eed glasses. those are super easy. make a center piece out of the materials that you need. have flowers and everything on the table. done. >> see how creative yvette is? >> look at the earrings! >> they're asymmetrical. don't you love that? >> they don't exactly match the dress. this is "today" on nbc. óa

time to head into "today's" kitchen. we're getting saucy with two easy to make classic french recipes. >> the executive chef of la

jolla beach. >> you go to work and you look outside -- >> stop it. it's not nice. >> recipes from your grandmother. >> really cool recipes. monk fish. >> i love monk fish. >> it tastes like lobster. >> yes, it does. >> which is really nice. we have some reduction. some shallots. cider vinegar. we used to make our own cider at the house. we put everything in the pot here. green apples. >> that's the secret ingredient? >> yes. >> that's amazing. reduce that down? >> when it's syrupy the way it is now, we had the green apple, chicken stock. i need someone here now who's going to really finish this. >> i've got it. give me that think. >> it's going to vibrate a little bit. >> she's used to that. >> you know what? this was a set-up. >> oh, yeah. if you want it to taste good, what you do is you take a little

bit of butter. you're doing very well. >> that's a -- >> no. just butter. you have to cook it like medium rare, medium. if you cook it too much, it's just too tough. >> are you guys making out? what's going on? >> he's speaking french. >> over here. i need to finish. >> i want a bite of this. >> all right, bernard. slap it on there, baby. >> you have to put the sauce right over here. just a drizzle. a gentle drizzle. >> get in there. i'm going to try this. what's going on here? >> no, no, no. this is a -- check this out. i made it yesterday. this is the green apple. too much water in the apple. we use the gala. >> oh, isn't that good?

>> use the puff pastry. we don't use puff pastry. put it right on top over here. some spices. >> then you bake it. >> bake it in the oven for about, i would say, 10, 20 minutes. >> okay. you know what we have to do? >> very, very special day. a certain person who shall remain nameless. >> joanne lamarca. >> happy birthday! >> she said she wanted some wine. jo said she wanted some wine. tomorrow, how to deal with all the competition when you have children at home. plus, healthy desserts and some fun spring shoes. >> let's eat!

>> i'm exhausted. >> me, too. happy birthday, joann. >> we love you, darling. don't like the hat but we love you. god bless, sweetheart. there she goes. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com